Spotlight
by findyourlight
Summary: Felicity thought that she'd finally made sense of the world, using music to escape the truths of her past only to realize that the past isn't the only thing that can haunt you. A one night stand in a city she'd never been to was supposed to be in her past. But when circumstances bring them back into each other's lives, she'll have to decide if love is worth giving up the spotlight.
1. Prologue

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

It's the most amazing, humbling experience in the world; performing in front of thousands of people. Standing on that stage, lights beating down and a mic in her hands… It makes her feel alive.

Felicity swipes the chubby stick across her bottom lip before smacking and rubbing both lips together, pouting at her reflection in the mirror. Satisfied with her makeup, she caps the lipstick and throws it in her overflowing makeup bag. She straightens her back and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath like she does before every performance, the sound of her name being chanted reaching her ears. Felicity opens her eyes just in time for one of the backstage assistants to give her a five-minute warning. She nods, sending the young man a small smile that causes him to blush and scurry away from her. Rising to her feet, she takes in her appearance once more before walking towards the entrance to the stage, watching as her trusted drummer Nyssa and Roy, her guitarist, get ready in the faint lighting on the stage.

"Hey," her manager grabs her attention.

"Tommy," she greets, "What's up?"

The taller man glances up at her from his cell phone, "Just wanted to say good luck. The car will bring you back to your hotel after you sign a few autographs."

She groans, rolling her eyes, "You know I hate signing after a show. It's exhausting enough as it is."

"I know, I know. Poor little rock star," he teases. Felicity narrows her eyes making him chuckle, "Seriously though, it'll only be for a few minutes. Please?"

"Fine," she gives in and spins on her heels to head towards the stage, turning back one last time and raising a finger to him, "But only for a few minutes." She heads towards where her mic stands at center stage and the crowd's cheers slowly start to get louder when they see her figure in the shadows.

She wraps her hand around the mic as someone from back stage announces her presence. "Ladies and gentlemen of Starling City, California! Please welcome… City in Smoke!" The crowd cheers wildly, the lights coming on and shining right on her. Felicity smiles, tapping her foot along as Nyssa starts the intro to the song that they're most known for, _Hold Me Down._

 _My demons are begging me to open up my mouth_ _  
I need them, mechanically make the words come out  
They fight me, vigorous and angry, watch them pounce  
Ignite me, licking up the flames they bring about_

* * *

Thea is practically bouncing in her heels as she and Oliver get lead backstage thanks to the passes hanging around their necks. "This is amazing. I can't believe Tommy got us backstage passes! Do you know what that means, Ollie? It means we're gonna meet Felicity! Seriously, Tommy is the best friend ever."

"Hey," Oliver objects, "I'm the one who is best friends with him so without me, you wouldn't even be here."

"Oh, whatever. Point is, we're going to meet Felicity Smoak! C'mon, Ollie. I know that you like their music. You didn't have to come tonight _and_ I've seen your shuffle," she teases. He shoots her a glare, hands stuffed in his pockets as Thea searches the sea of assistants for Tommy. Even though he would never admit it, his baby sister is right. He does like their music, _her_ music. Knowing that she writes all her own songs just adds to the fact that she is the most intriguing person he's ever come across. Not only is she creative and talented, but she is so unbelievably beautiful, no matter what color she has her hair dyed this month. Little information is actually known about her past, just that she is an only child and both of her parents passed away when she was younger. He knows from watching interviews that she is funny, quick with a sassy and witty comment whenever she gets a chance. People can't always see past the industrial piercing and the pink hair, only able to see her for her reputation of being a wild party girl. But he knows that she's kind, stepping up as a sponsor for multiple charities ranging from animal rights to gender equality.

He's pulled from his thoughts by Thea's squeal of excitement, watching as she runs to Tommy and wrenches him into a big hug. "Hey, you guys are just in time," he smiles when she pulls away, nodding to Oliver in hello. Oliver is about to open his mouth to respond when everyone in the audience starts screaming at the top of their lungs. Thea smiles and moves around them so she can see the stage better, the spotlight turning on and the drummer starting to play before the sound of her perfect voice fills the concert arena.

* * *

"You guys have been amazing! I love you all and goodnight everybody!" Felicity calls out after they finish the encore performance, following her bandmates off the stage. "Great job guys," she nods at them as she heads towards where she sees Tommy standing, his back to her. "So was my show good enough that I can skip the autographs?" she asks, sarcasm and just a little bit of hope dripping through her words.

Tommy turns around with a smile, revealing a young girl who is probably still in high school, light brown hair cut just above her shoulders and a huge grin on her face. "Felicity, perfect timing. This is Thea Queen, a family friend who just so happens to be your biggest fan. Thea, this is Felicity Smoak, lead singer and front woman of City in Smoke, hence the band's name."

Felicity nods her head in greeting, "Hey."

"Oh my god," Thea mumbles to herself before trying to regain her composure. "Hey, hi. Wow, it is so nice to meet you. Your music is amazing."

Tommy's phone rings and he excuses himself, walking away from the two of them. Felicity crosses her arms, eyeing up the girl in front of her with a growing smile. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," she supplies easily before elaborating, not wanting to come off as just a kid. "But I'm almost eighteen."

She nods her head slowly, "You wanna come to a party tonight?"

"Ugh," she groans. "I would, but I came here with my brother. He and Tommy are best friends."

Making a decision, Felicity opens her palm and holds it out in front of her, "Gimme your phone." Not needing to be asked twice, Thea pulls her phone out of her back pocket and hands it over, nearly passing out when Felicity puts in her number, and then texts herself so she'll have Thea's. After a few seconds, she hands the phone back, "Maybe some other time. I'll let you know."

"Wow, okay. I mean, yeah. That's awesome," Thea responds before Tommy rejoins them, Oliver in tow.

Tommy glances up from checking his email, "Ollie, Felicity Smoak. Felicity, Oliver Queen."

Felicity peers over her shoulder, long hair falling down her back. A smirk makes its way onto her face at the man behind her, "Hi."

The sight in front of him nearly takes his breath away; nope, it _definitely_ takes his breath away. Everything about her is beautiful, from the clear blue of her eyes to the pink curls framing her face, only accentuated by the deep pink of her lips. "Hi."

She faces him more fully and opens her mouth to speak when instead, Tommy's voice cuts through the silence, "Felicity, the car's waiting. You should get going now before the crowd gets too crazy."

Felicity nods as he goes back to looking at his phone, "Okay. It was cool meeting you guys. I'll text you if I'm ever back in Starling."

"Awesome," Thea nods, a huge smile on her face.

Tommy bids goodbye to his friends before wrapping his hand around Felicity's forearm, dragging her along with him. Oliver watches after her as she gazes at him over her shoulder with a small smile before falling into step with her manager.

* * *

After taking Thea to the mansion, Oliver didn't feel like going home just yet, which is why he sits in the bar of the nearest hotel nursing a scotch on the rocks. He's almost sad to admit that going to see City in Smoke and meeting Felicity in person has been the highlight of his year. Although, that wasn't a difficult task to complete given the year he's had. But when he met her, when he locked eyes with her and saw her smile, he felt something he hasn't felt in a long time. He lifts a hand, telling the bartender that he needs another drink when someone sits in the seat next to him. He sighs, tilting his head to turn down the next woman trying to hit on him when he pauses, realizing who the woman is by the color of her hair.

"Hi," Felicity starts with a smile, "Oliver, right? Tommy's friend."

Still slightly shocked that she's sitting next to him, Oliver clears his throat, "Uh, yeah. We grew up together."

Felicity nods as they fall into silence before tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at him. "Well, are you gonna buy me a drink or not?"

Oliver stares at her for a few seconds before cracking a smile, raising a hand and signaling the bartender to bring them two more drinks. "Great show tonight."

She takes a healthy sip of her drink before setting it down. "Yeah? You a fan or just your sister?"

He huffs a laugh, bringing his glass to his lips, "You could say that."

Pushing her empty tumbler forward, she signals for another before shifting more in her seat. "So what is a guy like you doing sitting all alone at a bar?" she asks with a flirty smile.

"Just wasn't ready to go home to an empty apartment yet," he sets down his glass.

"I know the feeling," she admits, eyes fixed on her bright nail polish picking at an invisible spot on the bar top.

Oliver can sense the sadness in her tone and resists the urge to ask her why. "How long are you in town for? Tommy said something about Seattle?"

Hearing his words, she looks back up at him with a smile. "Yeah, it's next on the tour. Tonight's my last night in Starling City."

He feels her hand on his leg, noticing how much darker her eyes are than before. He swallows, "That's a shame."

Felicity bites her bottom lip and stands, leaning a little closer towards him. "It doesn't have to be," she almost whispers before pulling away and taking a few steps backwards, winking and turning around.

He watches her, eyes focusing on the sway of her hips, contemplating her invitation. When she disappears from his sight around the corner, he stands and pulls out his wallet, slapping down a hundred and walking after her. Rounding the same corner and realizing it leads to the elevators, Oliver jogs over to the only one that's starting to close, stopping one of the doors with his arm. Felicity looks up from her phone at the beep the elevator makes, a knowing smile growing on her face as he steps into the elevator. Watching the doors close, he takes a step back to stand next to her. "What floor?" he asks without looking at her.

She turns to glance at his profile, trying to suppress the smile on her face. "Twenty. The penthouse suite." She grabs her key card from her clutch and hands it over, knowing that he'll need to swipe it to gain access given that the elevator opens right into the suite. He does just that, silently handing it back to her before they both stare straight ahead for the entire ride. Even though she doesn't want to even try to contain herself right now, she knows that there are cameras in here and that the paparazzi would do anything to get more shots of their favorite 'wild child'.

After what feels like an eternity, the elevator stops, dinging before the doors slide open. He sticks an arm out, motioning for her to go first which she does, setting down her clutch on the side table and stepping out of her heels. Oliver follows her inside, eyes darkening as she unzips the front of her dress as she walks, slipping it off her shoulders and letting it fall to the ground. Felicity's hair flows down her naked back and she turns back around to face him in just her panties, a wicked glint in her eyes.

Eyes darkening further at the sight of her almost-naked body, he is unable to control himself anymore and closes the distance between them in three long steps. Both of his hands bracket the sides of her face as he connects their lips in a fiery kiss, every bit as amazing as he expected it to be. She licks her tongue along the seam of his lips and he opens his mouth to her, deepening the kiss even more. Oliver slides his hands down her body to her hips before rounding to grip her ass, lifting her feet off the ground and traveling until her back hits a wall.

Felicity gasps against his mouth, fingers running through his short hair as she arches her back against him. Lips moving from her mouth to her jaw, he peppers her with kisses, moving to suck on a particularly sensitive spot at the junction of her shoulder and neck, making her moan. Taking the opportunity, she reaches down to the hem of his shirt before tugging it over his head, tossing it somewhere on the floor and bringing her fingers back up to card through his hair. Her hips surge forward of their own accord when he moves a hand down her body, stopping briefly to brush over one her nipples before continuing to the apex of her thighs.

He tugs her panties to the side, her wetness immediately coating his fingers and he doesn't think twice before plunging two fingers deep inside her. Felicity gasps at the sudden intrusion, quickly turning into a moan as he brings up his thumb to rub quick circles over her clit. The addition of a third finger pushing inside her plunges her over the edge unexpectedly, making her cry out as she spasms in his strong arms still supporting her against the wall. The feeling of his lips, the scrape of his stubble against her neck, brings her back to herself as she comes down from her high. Threading one hand's fingers through his hair and tightening, she tugs his head away so she can see his face.

"Bedroom," she commands. Oliver smirks at the breathiness of her voice and pulls his hand out of her panties to band his arm around her waist, the other hand tangling into her long curls. He raises a brow in a silent question and she swallows, chest still heaving. "To your right and through the living room. Big french doors, you can't miss 'em."

Oliver huffs a laugh, kicking off his socks and shoes when he makes it through the doors to the bedroom. He heads towards the king-sized canopy bed, laying her down and straightening to stand between her dangling legs. Felicity rests back on her elbows, staring at him under dark, hooded lids. Reaching forward, his eyes never leave hers as he grabs the hem of her panties, dragging them down her toned legs and leaving her fully exposed to him. After tossing her panties somewhere over his shoulder, his hands move to his own waist, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. She watches as he pushes his dark jeans down his legs, dragging his boxer briefs down with them, his almost painfully hard cock springing free. She sits up and grabs the back of his head, yanking his mouth down to connect with hers once more. Banding an arm low around her waist, Oliver lifts her off the mattress so he can crawl towards the headboard, situating them on the bed.

Detaching their lips, he travels down her jaw to her neck, licking over the slightly bruised area making Felicity hiss, which quickly turns into a moan when he wraps his lips around one her nipples. He sucks it into his mouth, one hand flying to give her other breast some attention before switching. Gripping the short ends of his hair, she pulls his mouth back to hers before flipping them so that she's on top. She sits up, reaching across to the drawer of the nightstand and pulling out a condom, ripping the package open with her teeth before rolling it down his throbbing length. She wraps a delicate hand around the base, moving slowly to the tip and back causing Oliver to lean his head back, his eyes falling shut.

Felicity tightens her grip, his hands moving up her legs and to her hips as she lifts herself up before sinking down, his impressive length stretching her in the best way possible. Her eyes fall shut as she just sits there for a few seconds, opening her eyes again at the feeling of his thumbs rubbing circles on the skin of her hips. At the look on his face, she smirks, circling her hips a few times, making him groan and lift a hand to tangle in her curls, pressing her mouth against his. She moans against his lips as she starts to move, increasing her pace as he meets her thrust for thrust. Their foreheads lean against each other, eyes closed and lips almost touching as they both breathe heavily.

She arches her back, creating a different angle and allowing Oliver to go even deeper inside her while her swollen clit rubs against him. He moves his hands, running them all over the creamy, soft skin of her back. That sensation along with the additional friction makes the familiar feeling start low in her stomach, building higher and higher with every thrust until it explodes. She cries out into the space between his neck and shoulder, her back arching and her movements becoming less and less coordinated. It doesn't take long for him to follow, groaning her name into where his face is buried in her hair.

Still lying on top of him, Felicity tries to catch her breath and once she has, she rolls onto the bed beside him, whimpering slightly when he is forced to pull out of her. They lay in silence for a few moments, the only noise being their intakes of breath as they stare at the ceiling. Sitting up, Oliver shuffles out of bed and towards the connected bathroom. A breeze from the door closing makes Felicity shiver and she maneuvers herself under the covers, her eyes slowly drifting shut. Oliver disposes of the condom and cleans himself up before opening the door and heading back into the bedroom, smiling softly at the sight in front of him. If he thought she was beautiful just when he was a fan of her music, boy is she breathtaking now. Heading towards the bed, he flicks off the lights before crawling under the covers. Felicity shifts, moving closer to him until her head is on his shoulder and her arm is loosely draped across his stomach. Wrapping an arm around her, he buries his face in her hair, eyes falling shut to the smell of her lavender shampoo.

* * *

The next morning, Felicity stirs with an unfamiliar feeling around her waist. It takes her a few seconds to really wake up and notice her surroundings, recognizing her hotel room. Realizing the weird feeling is someone's arm, the events from last night come rushing back to her. She slept with Oliver, Tommy's friend. And not only did she have sex with him, but she fell asleep with him, something that she never allows to happen. Slowly, she peers back over her shoulder to see his face, still relaxed from sleep, and gently lifts his arm from where it is draped around her. Managing to lift his arm without waking him, Felicity slides out of the bed and stands. She walks out into the living room and towards the entryway where she left her purse, still naked as the day she was born. She pulls her phone out of her clutch and checks her messages, several of them being from Tommy. She listens as he tells her to have her bags packed by the elevator to be picked up at 8:00 am, and to ride down where her bodyguard will meet her to escort her to the car at 8:30. Checking the time, she realizes that it is only five-minutes-to-eight, but she doesn't worry: she never unpacks her bags. All she has to do is take out something to wear today and throw her dirty things into one of them, which she does, leaving them by the doors as instructed.

Oliver is still asleep when she exits the bathroom having showered and quickly gotten ready. She walks through the room as silently as she can in an effort not to wake him: things would be better if last night stays what it was: a one-time deal. Grabbing her bag, she pushes the button and waits, stepping inside when the elevator doors open. Releasing a deep breath, Felicity observes her suite, particularly the view, and realizes that she might actually miss Starling City when she leaves it.


	2. Chapter 1

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Felicity's back flops onto the mattress, her naked chest heaving up and down with her quick breaths. She can hear the pants coming from the body lying next to her and then she feels him shift, wrapping an arm around her stomach. At that, Felicity is quick to escape, sitting up and swinging her legs to hang off the side of the bed.

"Whoa, wait. Where are you going?" the man she just hooked up with asks. What's his name, Josh? Jake? She can't remember.

Leaning down, she grabs her panties and tugs them on, standing to her feet before searching for her missing articles of clothing. "Yeah, I have things to do. Songs to write, concerts to perform," she explains half-heartedly. Finally finding her missing clothes, she steps into her dress and pulls it up, slipping the straps over her shoulders.

"Can we like, get dinner or something? Can I call you?" he asks, sitting up in his bed.

She turns to face him, balancing on one foot as she slips on her heels, "Yeah, I don't really do that."

"Do what?"

"Y'know, relationships, spending the night," she slips on her other shoe. Her words sound convincing even though they aren't entirely true; she spent the night with someone almost two months ago. She broke her own rules and she's been trying so hard to pretend like she didn't, to convince herself that it had nothing to do with anything other than the fact that she was tired. Offering him a smile, she starts backing away, "Thanks for the sex, it was pretty decent."

"Decent?" he raises his eyebrows in surprise, god forbid she insult his ego.

Felicity nods and turns, leaving his apartment, "Bye Jason!"

"It's Justin!"

Not saying anything else, she closes the door behind her, letting out a sigh and moving towards the elevator. She'd met him at a party last night; apparently, his sister is dating the drummer from some band or something like that. He complimented her, she was a little drunk and he's cute, so she went home with him. But the truth is, ever since her performance in Starling City, something within her has just felt… off, and she doesn't know why. Don't even get her started on Oliver Queen. From the second their eyes met, she knew that there was a spark between them - a fire ignited, just waiting to burn out. And it did; the only problem is that it lasted all the way into the morning. Never spending the night with someone, never allowing herself to be so vulnerable as to fall asleep in someone else's arms, has been a rule ever since what happened with Cooper.

Not wanting to spend another second thinking about that time in her life, she steps off the elevator and makes her way out of the apartment building. Opening her clutch, she shuffles around in search of her cell phone so she can call a cab when her eyes land on a pair of leather shoe clad feet that are crossed at the ankle. Halting her search, her eyes follow from the shoes up the black dress pants to the crossed arms that are nearly bulging out of the matching suit jacket. She sighs, closing her clutch and cocking a hip before arching a brow, "How'd you find me?"

"You forget what my wife does for a living," the man retorts, not moving from his position leaning up against a black town car.

"You tracked my phone, didn't you?" She shakes her head with a small laugh, "John Diggle, always lookin' out for me."

"Someone's got to," he straightens his stance. Opening the door, he nods for her to get inside, "Y'know, the whole point of having a bodyguard is to be around him so that he can actually guard your body."

She steps forward before stopping, her elbows leaning on top of the open door between them. "I'd be lost without you, Digg."

"Felicity, you're already lost."

Her smile slowly disappears at the seriousness in his tone, "Excuse me?"

Diggle shakes his head lightly, not afraid to be honest with the young woman who he thinks of like a little sister. "What are you doing here? Going home with a random guy, and for what?"

"For the sex," she shoots back with narrowed eyes, anger building up within her.

"Don't give me that, Felicity. You're twenty-two years old and you have everything that a person your age could want: fame, success, money. But you run away from anything real. I've been your bodyguard for almost two years now and still, I don't know much about your childhood. But I know enough to know that you deserve better than you think you do. Whatever it is that you're running from, you can't keep running forever. Because one day, you're gonna find yourself struggling to breathe. And everything that you're hiding from will catch up to you."

Felicity remains frozen where she is as Diggle moves around the hood of the car, getting into the driver's seat. After a few seconds of just standing there, she blinks away the moisture that pooled in her eyes and silently slides into the back seat, closing the door behind her. Without a word, Diggle pulls out onto the street and starts heading towards her loft in Manhattan. Crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge, Felicity leans her forehead against the window, the cold glass giving her goosebumps as she thinks over Digg's words. The worst part is that he isn't wrong; she's lost, and she has been for a while. She thought that music would fill that void in her heart, and it does. It gives her this feeling in the pit of her stomach when she performs, and just knowing that her songs resonate with fans gives her life purpose.

But there's this other… _weight_ on her heart that she can't get rid of no matter how many songs she writes or how many albums she sells. Staring out at the glistening water as they drive by, Felicity realizes that she needs a change. Pulling her cell phone out of her clutch, she clicks on the contact picture of her and Tommy, listening to it ring. Eventually it goes to his voicemail, like she figured it would, and she waits until the beep, "Hey, Tommy. It's Felicity. I've been thinking a lot and since the tour's over and I need to start working on my next album, I just really need a change of scenery. So… start looking for lofts for me in Starling City?"

* * *

Pulling the door open, Oliver walks inside of Verdant, heading straight towards the bar where he knows Sara will be. Sure enough, Sara stands at the end of the bar, wiping down the countertop and then turning round to rearrange the liquor in the way she prefers; she always complains that the other bartender moves things around too much. She lifts her head at the sound of his steps and immediately offers him a warm smile, "Hey, Ollie."

"Sara," he smiles back and reaches the bar, loosely gripping the edge of the counter. "It's a Friday so the bar is gonna be crazy. You sure you don't want me to call in Damien to help you bartend?"

She scoffs, shuffling around some bottles, throwing a few of the empty ones into the bin on one of the shelves beneath the bar. "Are you kidding? Me alone is like, three Damien's put together. Are you doubting my craft?"

Oliver chuckles at the tiny spark of anger in her eyes, "I wouldn't dare. I pay you more than him for a reason, and it's not just because we're friends."

"Speaking of friends," Sara shifts the conversation, throwing the towel under the bar and leaning on her forearms, "Where's Tommy?"

"I'm not really sure. I called him earlier and he said that he had to deal with something for one of his clients," he explains and she nods. Clearing his throat, he doesn't meet her eyes directly, "How's Laurel doing?"

She sighs, running a hand through her blonde hair, "Laurel is… She's… Laurel. She's always been a little bit of a bitch but ever since our mom died… She's spiraling and I don't know how to help her."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Raising a challenging eyebrow, Sara stands up straight again, "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do," he assures whole-heartedly. "Just because things between Laurel and me ended badly doesn't mean that I don't care about her. Or you. I will always just want the best for you both."

She offers him a small smile, "I know. You're a good guy, Oliver Queen."

Huffing, he shakes his head and turns around, heading upstairs to his office next to the VIP lounge. He wasn't lying; he cares deeply for both Lance sisters, having grown up with them and dated one of them for the majority of his life. And yeah, he was the one that ended things with Laurel, but he knows it was for the best. And even though she can't see it, she knows it too. They were toxic together; all they did was hurt each other, and he is sick and tired of being hurt.

Opening the door to his office, he steps inside and heads straight to his desk to look over some paperwork to finalize a new vendor. Before sitting down, he shrugs out of his leather jacket, hanging it on the back of the chair. Looking down at the jacket, he can't help but be brought back into his memories from that night almost two months ago. As soon as he had met Felicity's eyes, he knew that there was something unspoken between them, and their night together was one of the best nights of his life. The conversation that they had wasn't long but still, he feels like he knows her more than everyone else, having caught a glimpse of the lonely young woman instead of the badass rock star. And when they kissed… It was the best kiss he'd had in a very long time.

And then morning came and she was gone; gone from the hotel, gone from Starling City, and gone from his life. Normally, these were the ideal circumstances that follow a one night stand. Except for the fact that he can't stop thinking about her for the life of him. The truth is, he was a little hurt that she'd left that morning without so much as a goodbye, but then again, isn't that what a one night stand is supposed to be? Just two strangers who meet, screw, and never see each other again? Even if that is the case, all Oliver wants to do is see her again. Meeting her was the first good thing to happen in his life for far too long.

Oliver sighs, pulling out his chair and sitting down to look through some of the paperwork littering his desk when his phone starts vibrating in the pocket of his jacket. He twists slightly to pull it out, seeing Tommy's name and picture flash on the screen and swiping his thumb across it. "Hello?"

"Ollie, hey," Tommy greets.

Holding the phone to his ear using his shoulder, he begins signing some of the documents. "What's up, man?"

"One of my client's is coming to Starling. Actually, they're moving to Starling. Anyway, is it cool if I bring them by the club tonight?" Tommy asks.

He rolls his eyes at his best friend's politeness, as if he'd ever say no. "Go for it. It'd be good publicity for the club, and I actually plan on being here tonight."

"Awesome," he says, a smile on his face, "See you tonight, man."

"Yeah, see you tonight." Oliver hangs up the phone and sets it down, sighing before trying to get a dent into these contracts before the club opens in less than a few hours.


	3. Chapter 2

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

"Okay, Lis. Promise me you won't get too drunk?" Tommy asks with a brow quirked at his client as they approach Verdant, the line of people extending down the entire side of the building.

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Felicity jokes, rolling her eyes at the brief horror flashing across his face. "Relax, Tommy. I promise." He opens his mouth to say something again when he's interrupted by the sound of excited screams originating from the people waiting in line. As if on autopilot, Felicity smiles and struts to the crowd of people so they won't lose their spots, posing and smiling for numerous selfies. Some of the women pull pens and scraps of paper from their purses, handing them over and begging for autographs, going as far as to offer their arms if they don't have paper. After a few minutes and dozens of pictures, she winks and waves goodbye as Tommy motions her past the bouncer and into the club.

He looks at her with a small smile, "You didn't have to do that."

She shrugs a shoulder and scans the club, avoiding making eye contact as she brushes off the comment, "I know. But they're the ones who buy my songs, so it's the least I can do to pretend like I actually care about them."

A slow grin grows on his face, knowing that she is lying. He knows that she cares about her fans; she always makes time for pictures or autographs, because she knows that the fans who have followed her from the beginning played a huge part in her career taking off and continue to support her no matter what. "Okay," he lets things go before clapping his hands together, "Alright. I have some people I need to talk to and I gotta go find Ollie. Go to the bar and mingle. And have fun." He smiles at her before shaking his head lightly and pointing a finger in front of her face, trying to appear threatening, "But not too much fun."

"Aye, aye captain," she mimics his serious expression and lifts a hand to her forehead before mock saluting him. He huffs before turning around and moving through the crowd. Felicity chuckles before scanning the club, eyes landing on the crowded bar being managed by a single person, the woman's blonde hair whipping from side to side with her quick but steady movements. Making her way to the bar to get a drink, her eyes land on the figure of a man sitting on a stool, his broad shoulders covered by the jacket of an obviously expensive suit. The man looks familiar, but she can't place him until he turns his head slightly. She catches sight of his profile and immediately recognizes him as Oliver Queen. Tommy's words earlier this morning about them going to his friend's club, and the fact that he just mentioned looking for someone named Ollie, come to mind, the pieces finally making sense.

At the realization that she'll be unable to avoid running into him with them both living here and being connected to Tommy, she makes her way towards the bar. Snaking through the mass of people, Felicity situates herself in the seat next to him, laying her arm across the counter and drumming her fingers lightly to the beat of the music pumping through the air around her. She notices the exact second Oliver recognizes her, his eyes doing a slight double-take and his mouth barely falling open before he composes himself. Tilting her head, she grins at him, a teasing sparkle in her eyes. "Oliver, right? Tommy's friend," she says, a callback to what she said at the bar of her hotel that night almost two months ago.

Oliver huffs a laugh, remembering their conversation, "Yeah. We grew up together."

Nodding her head slowly, her eyes cast down towards the countertop and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from smiling any more than she already is. Meeting his eyes again, she gestures to the open space around them, her voice sounding like she is asking the most obvious question ever. "Are you gonna buy me a drink or not?"

He tries to suppress the small grin tugging up the corners of his mouth as he lifts his chin, and he breathes in deeply, once again taken aback by not just her presence but by her incomparable beauty. There is no doubt that Felicity is anyone's definition of beautiful, but there's more to her than that, those things that make her special and different than anyone he's ever met. It's in the minuscule specks of green and streaks of brown littering the cornflower blue of her eyes. It's in the deep red of her lipstick-covered lips, and the skin of her toned legs that he knows are as creamy as they look. And it's in the soft, wavy tendrils of her hair that he isn't sure are lavender or pink, because they change in the light. It's in her perfectly-sloped nose and her delicate hands and her radiant smile. It's in every little thing about her he can't help but notice.

Felicity raises a brow at his silence, bringing him out of his thoughts. Lifting a hand, he gains Sara's attention and signals for two more drinks, the bartender nodding to show that she understands. "So," she starts, "You own a nightclub."

"I do," he nods, sipping the last bit of whiskey from his glass.

"Doesn't your family own like, a billion-dollar company or something?"

"Yeah, that… It wasn't the right path for me."

"Why not?" a smirk tugs up the corners of her mouth, "You look good in a suit."

He lets out a small laugh as he can't help but smile at her, only being interrupted by Sara sliding two drinks onto the bar top in front of them. Sara leans forward on her elbows, perching her chin on her hands and darting her eyes between the two of them. "So what's goin' on here?"

Sighing, Oliver gestures between the two women, "Felicity, my bartender Sara Lance. Sara, Felicity Smoak. She's one of Tommy's clients."

"Ah," Sara nods, grimacing over her shoulder and rolling her eyes at someone impatiently trying to get her attention. "I knew I recognized you. Your music's not bad," she shrugs.

Felicity lets out a laugh, crinkling her eyebrows together, "Thanks?"

Someone slaps their hand against the counter on the other side of the bar and Sara groans before turning to face the man who looks like he's a twelve-year-old chia pet, "Relax Curly, I'll be right there." Felicity snickers to herself, trying to hide her smile at the look Oliver gives the other woman. She ignores her boss, "Are you here for a concert or something?"

"No actually," Felicity brings the glass to her lips, taking a sip. "I just moved here. New York was getting old and you guys have some killer lofts in this city."

"Maybe I can show you around sometime," Sara offers before that same guy tries to get her attention. Upon noticing the unhappy look on Oliver's face, she sighs, "I gotta get back to work, but it was nice meeting you."

She grins, "Yeah, you too. We should hang out." Taking out her phone, she hands it over and Sara puts in her number before giving it back and heading towards the opposite end of the bar.

"She seems cool," she says, taking another sip of her drink.

"Yeah, she's the best," Oliver responds with a small smile before glancing towards her again. "So why the move, to Starling of all places?"

Felicity narrows her eyes at the tiny smirk on his face and the cocky glimmer shining in his deep blue eyes. "I just needed a change of scenery." He raises a brow and she narrows her eyes even further, "It had nothing to do with you." He scoffs, bringing his whiskey to his lips and taking a large sip. She turns in her stool to face him more fully, crossing one leg over the other at the knee, drawing his attention to the now exposed skin of her upper thigh. "Do you even know how much some guys would pay to just _meet_ me?"

Oliver sets down his empty glass and raises his eyes to meet hers, a softness to them that she clearly notices as her joking smile lessens a bit, the teasing light in her eyes dimming with seriousness. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

After a few seconds, she breaks their eye contact and gazes down at the bar. She was fine with the laughing and the flirting, but not with the sudden emotions that washed up at the look in his eyes. This is why she doesn't do relationships; there's too many emotions, which makes it way too easy for her to get hurt again. The horrifying part is that she can actually see herself being with someone like Oliver. _Not_ Oliver, they still barely even know each other, but there is just something about him, something that makes her want to know everything yet nothing about him. Because the more she knows, the more feelings she'll develop and the more pain she'll end up in when it all goes downhill.

Felicity breathes in deeply through her nose before plastering on a grin and hopping off the stool, her heels clicking as they hit the ground. She hooks a thumb over her shoulder towards the dance floor, "Thank you for the drink. I think I'm gonna hit the dance floor."

"Have fun," Oliver nods with a smile.

Nodding her head in return, Felicity spins on her heels and starts making her way away from the bar before pausing and turning back around. "Oliver," she calls, bringing his attention back to her from where he sits facing the bar, and he arches a brow in question. Smiling, she raises her voice as the music changes to a louder tune, "I'll see you around."

Oliver takes a deep breath as he watches her retreating form, unable to keep his eyes from roaming up and down her body, admiring how beautiful she truly is. The sound of a beer bottle being set down on the countertop gains his attention and he turns back towards the bar. Sara tilts her head, eyes moving once again between Oliver and the woman dancing in the middle of the club. "Y'know, sooner or later she'll notice you staring."

Rolling his eyes, he takes a swig of the beer before motioning vaguely to the other side of the bar, "Sooner or later people will start leaving if you don't get them drinks."

She narrows her eyes at him, lifting a hand and pointing a finger in his face, "Don't think that this is over just because you so obviously changed the subject."

Shrugging a shoulder, he offers her a cheeky grin, "Just remember, I sign your paychecks."

"Yeah, yeah," Sara mocks as she walks away from him to tend to other customers.

He chuckles, shaking his head lightly as he brings the bottle up to his lips when he feels a hand clap on his shoulder.

"There you are, man. I've been lookin' for you," Tommy greets over the music, taking a seat on the stool previously occupied by Felicity.

"I've been here," Oliver responds, turning slightly so he can lean one elbow on the bar.

"I see you met the client I told you about," he says, noticing Sara is busy before leaning over the top of the bar and grabbing a beer for himself.

"You realize you just stole from me, yeah?" Oliver laughs, raising a brow at his best friend, who just shrugs in return before taking a sip of his own beer. "You should've said it was Felicity Smoak that was moving to Starling. We already met at her concert a couple months ago."

Tommy furrows his brows in thought before remembering, "Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that." He turns his head to observe the dance floor, eyes landing on his client. "She is somethin' else."

"Yeah," Oliver breathes out, eyes fixated on the sway of her hips and the bright smile on her face.

He gazes back at his best friend before his brows draw together, eyes darting between him and Felicity. He shakes his head at the other man, "No. No, no, no."

"What?" Oliver asks in confusion at his friend's sudden outburst.

"I know that look," Tommy points an accusatory finger at him, "Felicity may not seem like it, but she is fragile and is like a little sister to me. Promise me that you're not gonna sleep with her."

He sighs. "Tommy -," he starts before being cut off.

"Ollie. Promise me that you are not gonna sleep with her."

"Fine," he raises his hands in surrender, "I promise, jeez."

Tommy sighs in obvious relief, "Thank you." A few seconds later, his phone rings and he stands up upon seeing the number, "I gotta take this. It's the studio." He answers the call as he makes his way out of the club, disappearing out the door.

Dragging his eyes away from the door, Oliver brings his drink to his lips and watches as Felicity moves, fearing that he might have just lied to his best friend.


	4. Chapter 3

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

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 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

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Oliver's phone buzzes and he retrieves it from his pocket, reading the text from Thea asking him to pick her up from the mall because none of her friends can and her license is still suspended. He types out a quick response before pocketing his phone and opening the door to Verdant, stepping inside. It has been almost a week since Felicity came to the club, and he hasn't been able to get her out of his head any more than over the last two months since their night together. Never in his life has a woman taken up this much thought, not even Laurel. And that freaks him out. The worst part is that he can't even place the reasons why Felicity has been stuck in his head. There is just something about her. But he promised Tommy that he wouldn't pursue anything with her, which only confuses him more. Felicity being more fragile than anyone realizes is what stuck with him the most, but it has only served to make him want to know every little thing there is to know about Felicity Meghan Smoak.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he rounds the corner, eyes landing on Sara cleaning some glasses before they shift to the other Lance sister sitting at the bar. He would say that he's surprised to see her here at 1:00 in the afternoon but he isn't; ever since Dinah Lance passed away, the stool of a bar had become Laurel's favorite spot. Sara notices him and meets his eyes, silently begging him for help as she darts them towards her sister.

"Laurel, hi," Oliver greets when he moves to stand next to her, taking in her disheveled appearance. Her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed and she has a drink in her hand, but he can tell from both her scent and her bloodshot eyes that it isn't her first.

She turns slightly to look at him before huffing a laugh and knocking back the rest of what he suspects is whiskey. "Ollie. Fancy meeting you here."

"In my own club?" he questions.

"Sara!" she calls, ignoring him. Laurel holds out her empty glass as Sara approaches. "Another drink, please."

Oliver can tell that his bartender is reluctant to pour her sister another drink, so he steps in, placing a hand on her wrist, "Laurel, I think you've had enough."

She yanks her arm away from him, her voice slurring. "Y'know what? You," she pokes him in the chest, "Are not my boyfriend anymore. So don't tell me what to do."

"I'm not telling you as your ex-boyfriend, Laurel. I'm telling you as your friend."

"You are not my friend," she pokes him in the chest again, emphasizing each word.

"Laurel, it's time to go," he grabs her arm again and she wrenches it away, nearly falling off the stool before Oliver quickly reaches out to stop her from hitting the floor.

Sara looks at her sister, "Laurel, c'mon. Let me take you home, okay?"

"No! God, why don't you two just leave me alone and let me live my life? You've been doing it for months; it shouldn't be too hard."

He sighs, "Laurel, we both care about you and we want you to be healthy. You need help."

"I don't need your help, Oliver. You broke up with me, remember? Four months after my mom died, so thanks, you've done enough."

"That's not fair, Laurel. I ended things between us because you changed. You dropped out of law school, you started snapping at anyone who tried to help you. You started drinking. Laurel, you have a problem. Let us help you," Oliver tries to reason with her. Even though their romantic relationship has been over for a while, even before she started going downhill if he's being completely honest, they still grew up together, and he cares about her deeply. Laurel stares at him, clearly annoyed, before walking around the bar and towards the shelves of liquor, deciding that if they won't give her a drink, she'll get it herself. "Laurel," he warns.

"Laurel, stop," Sara says as her sister reaches for a bottle. She moves, stepping between her and the shelves, trying to push her back, "Laurel." The other woman tries harder to move past Sara, who wraps her hands around her forearms in an effort to hold her back.

"Stop!" Laurel yells before aggressively pushing Sara away from her causing the blonde to collide with the shelving, some of the bottles breaking and falling to the floor.

Oliver is so taken by surprise with what just happened that it takes him a minute before he reacts, running around the bar to make sure Sara is okay. She seems fine as she brushes the glass off herself, her only injury being a decent sized gash on her arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he yells at Laurel, grabbing the nearest towel to stop Sara's arm from bleeding.

The younger Lance tries to reassure him, "I'm fine, Ollie. It's just a scratch."

He peers over his shoulder to where Laurel stands a few feet away, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open slightly in shock over what she did. "You're done. Get out of my club or I'll call the police."

Laurel backs away before turning and rushing out of the club, the sound of the door slamming shut echoing off the high ceilings. Oliver turns his attention back to Sara, peeling back the towel he's using to see that the bleeding has stopped and she most likely won't need stitches. "You realize that your threat of calling the cops would just bring my dad back into your life, right?" Sara teases, hissing slightly when he dabs the cut with alcohol from the first aid kit behind the counter.

"I'd risk it," he replies blandly, not looking up from where he is focusing on taping a bandage around her forearm. After almost a minute, he quietly speaks up, "Laurel's hit rock bottom, and I don't know if there's anything I can do to help her."

Sara stares at him for a few moments before nudging his shoulder, making him look up and meet her eyes, "Ollie. I know that you think that you can somehow protect everyone in your life from pain, but you can't. It's just a part of life. It isn't your fault."

He sighs and shakes his head lightly, "Maybe if I didn't end things, I could've helped her earlier."

"Oliver, stop. You did what you had to do. She was equally as unwilling to accept help then as she is now. She was sad and angry, and she took it out on you. Laurel blames herself because she and my mom got into some stupid fight, and that's why she was driving that night instead of at home. Nothing any of us say can make her feel less guilty. When she finally realizes that she needs help, she'll ask us for it."

"I hope you're right." He sends her a soft smile, "I just… She was your mom, too. You shouldn't have to lose a mom _and_ a sister."

Sara stands on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder. She takes a deep breath and blinks rapidly, trying to keep her tears at bay. "Thanks, Ollie. But the good thing is, I can still get one of them back."

He clears his throat as they separate, knowing that both Sara and himself hate being vulnerable with other people, "Okay, your arm doesn't need stitches so just keep it wrapped. I have to run a couple errands and then go pick up Thea."

She lets out a laugh, "Sounds good. I need to clean up," she gestures to the broken glass littering the liquid on the floor around their feet, "this. Fun times."

"I don't pay you enough," Oliver admits before stepping around her, patting her on the shoulder as he passes by.

Sara chuckles and calls after him, "That is an easily fixable situation!"

* * *

The sound of metal against metal screeches quietly as Felicity looks between the shirts hanging on the clothing rack. She pulls out a pink tank top and holds it up to herself, "What do you think?"

Diggle raises a brow at her, hands remaining clasped in front of his crisp, grey suit. "Too pink," he relents.

Felicity nods in agreement, hanging it back on the rack and continuing her search. She sees a flash of brown from the corner of her eyes and turns slightly, ignoring the silent whispers of some of the other people in the store. Her eyes focus on the group of four girls, all looking like they're in high school. One of the girls, though, looks extremely familiar and she finally puts it together. Hanging the shirt in her hand back on the rack, she walks across the store towards the girls, Diggle following close behind. One of the blonde girls seems to recognize her and whispers to the other blonde next to her. Felicity reaches out a hand, touching the arm of the familiar brunette, "Thea?"

The teenager turns around, a look of surprise finding its way onto her face. "Felicity!"

"Hi," Felicity smiles and pulls her into a quick hug, earning a few envious looks from the younger girl's friends. "How are you?"

"What? Good. I'm, I'm good," Thea stutters out before regaining her composure and smiling at the older woman. "I heard that you moved here."

She nods, "Yeah, Tommy found me a great place. I just needed a change of scenery, and I remembered how much I loved this city when I was here for that concert."

Thea nods in understanding before the group falls silent and her eyes widen, "Oh! Um, Felicity, these are my friends, Janelle, Penelope, and Lucy. Guys, this is -"

"- Felicity Smoak, we know. We _love_ your music," one of the blondes, apparently Penelope, interrupts with a wide smile, the other two nodding their heads in agreement.

"Thank you," she smiles in return before turning and addressing Thea, "I was actually just about to leave and check out some other stores. Do you want to come with?"

"Seriously?" Thea asks before shaking her head with a small laugh, "I mean, yes. I would love that." She turns to face her friends, face scrunched up, "Sorry, guys. I'll catch up with you later?" Ignoring the angry expressions on their faces, she faces Felicity with a huge smile, "Let's go!"

The two of them head out, Felicity putting on her sunglasses while they walk along the sidewalk of the outdoor strip mall, only taking them off when they're safely inside another store. "So how have you been?" Felicity asks as she peruses through the clothing racks.

"Pretty good. My 18th birthday was a few weeks ago, and I'm almost out of high school, thank god."

Felicity laughs, "Ah, I remember high school. It was so easy."

The younger girl scoffs, "I don't know what school you went to but it certainly isn't anything like mine."

Silently admonishing herself for saying something even remotely about her past, she tries to change the subject by holding out a floral-patterned dress. "I think these colors would look good on you. Try it on."

Thea smiles softly before taking the item and heading towards one the dressing rooms, Felicity continuing to search through the racks. Diggle speaks up from where he stands a few feet behind her, "High school was easy, yeah? You must be some kind of genius."

She glares at him, knowing that he knows about that particular time in her life. "You said that you wouldn't ever bring it up again."

"Bring up what? The fact that you graduated a year early and at the top of your class?" he questions with a quirked brow. "And you're the one who brought it up."

"Yes, well," Felicity stutters, not having a good comeback, so she just pouts. "Shut up," she tells him before turning back to the clothes, making Diggle chuckle to himself with a shake of the head.

"So," Thea steps out of the dressing room and strikes a pose, "What do you think?"

"I love it," she grins. They continue shopping for almost an hour, shuffling between a few different stores and trying on dozens of items between the two of them. Thea had bought the dress Felicity picked out, along with a few other items, while Felicity requested to have the items sent to her loft. She hates carrying a bunch of bags because it makes it harder to get away from paparazzi, but she also hates making Diggle carry them for her; he may be her driver, but he is also her bodyguard and what she considers a close friend. Inspecting the necklaces and other jewelry items on the table, Felicity speaks up, "Now that I live here, we should hang out more. I was gonna ask that blonde bartender at your brother's club for a tour of the city."

"Sara?" the younger Queen suggests.

"Yes!" she pumps a fist into the air at the reminder, confirming the name she thought. "Anyway, I was gonna ask Sara to show me around some time. You should come. I assume you know her pretty well?"

"Yeah, she grew up with me and Oliver." Thea glances up from the table and towards the door, "Speak of the devil." They'd decided that this would be their last store, so Thea texted her brother ten minutes ago telling him what store she is in.

Felicity peers over her shoulder, eyes landing on Oliver walking through the door into the store, the open door momentarily letting in the sound of excited chatter. He makes his way towards them, "Thea, what is going on out there?" When he reaches them, he realizes the figure with his sister is Felicity and the pieces fall into place. "Never mind. There's a lot of paparazzi outside."

"Someone must've tipped them off. Awesome," she sighs out, looking out the windows as Diggle observes their surroundings.

"Miss Smoak, I should get you out of here," Diggle suggests, still refusing to call her Felicity when they're in front of other people.

She groans and shakes out her hand, "Okay, let's go. Thea, it was awesome hanging out with you. We'll have to set something up with Sara."

Smiling, Thea nods her head rapidly, "Yeah, that sounds great." She looks outside at the growing crowd, lights flashing as they try to get pictures of Felicity, and she is sure that one of her friends is the one who tipped them off. "Hey, I have an idea. How about instead of you, I leave with your bodyguard shielding me and then you," she points at Felicity and then darts her eyes to her brother, "Can go out the back and leave with Ollie."

Felicity looks to Oliver with a raised brow and he nods, "Yeah, I can leave and then drive around."

"Miss Smoak, I really don't feel comfortable with this," Diggle cuts in.

She moves and pulls him aside slightly, "I'll be fine. I know them, they're good friends of Tommy's. I promise I'll be fine, I just really don't want to deal with this right now."

Diggle's eyes dart towards Oliver, looking him up and down with narrowed eyes. "Fine," he grumbles, still not happy with this plan.

Grinning, Felicity leans up and plants a kiss to his cheek before moving back to the Queens. "Thanks, guys."

"No worries. We're happy to help," Thea smiles.

Oliver turns to address Felicity, "I'll pull around back." He heads out the door into the crowd, pushing his way through as best he can. Diggle takes off his jacket to shield her with before nodding for Thea to follow him towards where Oliver disappeared. Felicity maneuvers her way through the store towards the back, the door coming into view as the sounds of cheering get louder, signaling Diggle and Thea moving. Pushing through the door, her eyes land on Oliver driving into the alley, not in the car she was expecting but on a motorcycle. A slow smile creeps onto her face as he comes to a stop and holds out a helmet to her. She steps down the single stair and accepts the helmet before her attention is pulled to the opening of the alley, the paparazzi coming into view as they clearly realize their plan.

"Get on!" he tells her causing her to pull the helmet down and straddle the bike. People start shouting at her, rushing into the alley with cameras flashing so bright it throws her off for a second. Felicity wraps her arms around Oliver's waist and he revs the engine, turning around and taking off through the opposite end of the alley.

* * *

Oliver shuts off the engine of his Ducati, letting it lean to the side with all its weight resting against the kickstand. He feels Felicity shift and hop off the bike and does the same, taking off his helmet and setting it to rest on the seat beside the spare she wore just a few seconds ago. Confused, he swivels his head around until his eyes land on Felicity where she stands a few feet away. He slowly makes his way over to stand next to her on the piece of land that overlooks the city, going so far that even certain parts of the Glades are visible, including Verdant. They stand in comfortable silence for a few moments before he breaks it, "I figured you wouldn't want to lead them back to your apartment. And on the off chance they already know where it is, we can make 'em wait for a while."

She doesn't answer right away, eyes taking in the city in front of her. They must've been shopping for longer than she thought because the sun is setting, the sky around them getting darker by the minute. "Where exactly are we?"

"One of the few locations most people in Starling have no idea exists. Me and Tommy used to come here when we needed to get away from life for a couple hours."

She glances at him with a small smile, her heart fluttering in her chest at the fact that he just shared something kind of personal with her. "Thank you." Deciding she wants to stay awhile, she sits down, not even caring that her pants might get dirty from the grass. Oliver follows her footsteps when she pats the ground next to her, leaning his arms forward on his knees, her own legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles as she rests back against her hands.

"You didn't have to do this," Felicity breaks the silence they had fallen into again, the dark sky surrounding them now littered with stars and the light from the city. "You probably have somewhere you have to be. Like your club."

He tries not to smile as she attempts to sound nonchalant, both keeping their eyes forward. "I'm happy to help. I have an idea of how annoying the paparazzi can be most of the time."

"I know I shouldn't complain. Poor little rock star whose current biggest problem is that people fawn over me for autographs and pictures, yelling how much they love me every time I step outside."

"Hey," he finally looks at her, "I know that we don't know each other that well, but you don't have to do that with me."

"Do what?" she asks with a huffed laugh.

"Act like I think you're just another stuck up, self-centered celebrity. I don't have to be a genius to see that you're not."

"I think you overestimate the intelligence of most people." She glances at his profile, "But thank you. For being nice to me and helping me even though I don't deserve it after the way I just left without even waiting for you to wake up."

Oliver smiles to himself with a simple shrug and they fall into silence, both taking in the city in front of them. It feels like they've been sitting for hours when Felicity decides to speak again. "So," she starts, "Why a night club? Why not, I don't know, a restaurant? A hotel? Or, why not just work at your family's company?"

He sucks in a sharp breath at the mention of his family. "Growing up, I wasn't the best guy. I partied and drank a lot, and I didn't try that hard in school. People were always just, I don't know, expecting me to mess things up. Including my father. We never had the best relationship. He wanted me to take over the company when I was old enough, but he also never thought I would actually do it, or that I _could_ actually do it. So, I decided to prove him wrong and go to college, get a business degree. But I still never wanted the company, I just wanted to show him and everyone else, really, that I was more than what they thought of me. With the number of clubs I went to over the years, I figured running one couldn't be too hard."

"And now people actually respect you," she concludes. "What about your dad? Is he finally proud?"

He stares out into the night and clears his throat, "We still don't have the best relationship."

"Complicated relationships with your parents. Something we have in common."

"Yeah?" he asks her, intrigued by the small tidbit of information she revealed.

Felicity realizes he is wordlessly asking for more information and sucks in sharply through her nose, not meeting his gaze. "Can I tell you a secret?" she wonders, voice light as she tries to ease the seriousness from their conversation, not wanting to talk about her family.

"Sure."

She cranes her neck as if she is making sure no one else is around before pulling her legs to sit underneath her, facing him more fully. "I'm actually kind of a genius."

"What?" he laughs, mimicking her movement of turning so they can see each other's faces better.

"Yeah, I kind of graduated high school in three years and then went to MIT with a full scholarship in computer forensics for a semester."

Oliver is taken aback by that information and he furrows his brows at her, "Okay, no offense. But why would you leave MIT to be a singer?"

She chuckles and smiles, but he notices that this one isn't sincere, the light in her eyes dissipating. "I just decided that it wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I packed up everything I owned and came here on a whim. I've always enjoyed music and writing poems. Finally, I realized that I could turn those poems into songs and I was in love. After that, I met Roy and Nyssa and we formed a band. For a while we were just taking any gig we could get, but we started building up a small fan base. One night - I remember it perfectly. We were in some cheap bar serving stale peanuts," she laughs, lost in her own story. Oliver can't help but stare at her with wonder in his eyes, blown away by the passion for music he can see in her eyes and hear in her voice. "And by some stroke of luck, a small-time agent had car troubles and had to stay for a few hours while his car was getting fixed."

"So that's how you met Tommy."

"That's how I met Tommy," she confirms with a smile. "We were both new to this business and we all had no idea what the hell we were doing. But somehow we did it together, and here we are, almost five years later."

Oliver smiles, "Tommy never told me that."

"Honestly, I can't believe I just told you. Not the stuff about Tommy, but…," Felicity takes a deep breath and moves her gaze from the city to him, their eyes locking. "I've never told anyone that stuff about school, not even Tommy. I'm not the most open person but… I don't know why… I just feel like I can trust you." Oliver breathes in deeply at her words before focusing on his surroundings. He realizes how close they are to each other but doesn't remember moving.

"You're the first person that I've ever talked this much about my dad to," he admits, just as confused as she is.

She breaks their eye contact, looking straight ahead into the night. "Maybe it's just easier to tell your darkest secrets to a stranger."

"Mmm," he hums in agreement before tilting his head, 'I'm not exactly a stranger."

Felicity tries to suppress her growing smile at his implication because no, you can't exactly call someone you've seen naked a stranger. "You know what I mean."

He shrugs a shoulder and his eyes drift down to his watch before widening in surprise. _10:07 pm._ They'd been sitting here for just over three hours and he hadn't even realized it. "It's pretty late. We should probably head back to the city." Oliver stands up, holding out a hand to her and she takes it, letting him pull her to her feet. She looks down, brushing the dirt away where it's dusted around to the backs of her thighs. When she's satisfied she got enough off, she sighs and lifts her head back up. Oliver stands facing her, only a foot or two separating them, and he can see her sharp intake of breath at their proximity.

"You have a little," he points to her cheek where a swipe of ashen dust brushes across her cheekbone. She raises a hand to wipe it away, but she misses. "Here," he says as he takes a small step forward and lifts his hand to the side of her face. Her pink-tinted, still slightly golden locks blow subtly in the light wind starting to pick up. Locking eyes with her, he slowly strokes his thumb along her cheek. He can feel the air between them thickening and can hear the hitch in her throat as she stares up at him under long lashes. "There. All gone," his voice is quiet but to her, everything is amplified in the peaceful night. She expects him to pull away but he doesn't, his thumb lingering on her skin. Deciding if he should do something, he notices how her eyes have darkened and he swears he just saw them dart to his mouth for a split second. His own veer down to her lips before quickly returning, and he just about starts to lean closer to her when the shrill ringing of a phone cuts through the previously undisturbed darkness.

Felicity sucks in a sharp breath and angles back, his hand falling from her cheek as she looks down and pulls her phone from her pocket. "Hello?" Taking a step away from her, he clears his throat as he listens to her side of the conversation, watching her nod her head with her words. "Yeah. I know. Yeah, I'm on the way. Okay. Bye."

"Uh, who was that?" he asks when she hangs up and moves towards his bike.

"Diggle," she answers while reaching out a hand to grab the spare helmet, thanking whatever god is out there that she manages to maintain a steady voice after what almost just happened. "He was getting kind of worried. He's clearing out the back entrance to my building."

Oliver nods and grabs his own helmet, "Alright. Let's go." He starts his motorcycle but waits a few seconds to kick up the stand, needing a moment to catch a breath when Felicity slides on behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. He doesn't know what's happening to him; he never gets this way with women, he's always been the confident, take-action kind of guy. Shaking his head as if to clear those thoughts from his mind, he flicks up the kickstand and takes off onto the road.

After about a twenty-five-minute drive, Oliver pulls up to the back entrance of Felicity's building, stopping the bike and standing. He takes off his helmet and helps her step back onto her feet while she takes off her own helmet, placing it into the compartment underneath the seat. "Thank you again, for helping me today. And… for the best night I've had in Starling City yet."

Oliver grins down at her, "Anytime."

She smiles softly, staring up at him under long lashes. She gets lost in the blue of his eyes, everything around her fading away like it had the first night they met and just moments ago at that clearing. A distant car horn sounds, dragging her back to reality and she bites her lip, taking a step away before turning on her heels and heading towards the back door. Oliver watches her, mesmerized just by the simple action of walking. She really is beautiful.

Reaching out, she swipes a card over a sensor to unlock the door and then wraps a hand around the handle. Before she steps inside, she turns back around, knowing he is still there. Their eyes meet and there's so much in hers: happiness and wonder, but also fear and doubt. He never expected to hear the next words that come out of her mouth.

Felicity stares again at the man in front of her, not knowing how to feel. She doesn't like to talk about herself and she doesn't trust people, especially men that have so much potential. Yet she still found herself confiding in him, telling him things about her life she's never told anyone without even thinking twice about it. She knew after the first time they met that something was different about this, about him. And it scares the hell out of her, especially when she comes to a startling realization. Felicity breathes in deeply, "You… You might just ruin me, Oliver Queen."

He stares at her and she glances down, shaking her head lightly with a small laugh. She lifts her head and sends him one last soft smile, "Goodnight."

Pulling the door open, she heads inside, shutting it behind her and leaning her back against the cool metal without a second thought. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, trying to clear out the mess that is her thoughts. "Dammit Past Felicity," she mutters to herself, drawing her brows together and frowning, mad at herself for causing all of this. She never should've went up to Oliver when she saw him in the bar of her hotel, and she never should've invited him upstairs. She never should've slept with him, and she sure as hell never should've allowed herself to fall asleep in his strong arms. Because those arms had made her feel warm and loved and _safe_ for the first time in nearly twenty years. And she hates herself for how much she loved it.


	5. Chapter 4

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

The sound of loud knocking wakes Felicity and she groans, burying her face even further into her plush pillow in an attempt to magically make the offending noise cease. When it continues, she crawls out of bed and grabs her glasses off her nightstand, having managed to fall asleep after taking out her contacts. She leaves her room, crossing the open space of her living room, not even bothering to fix the mess that is probably her hair in the mirror hanging on the wall near the door. Knowing who is most likely at the door due to her security precautions, she wraps her hand around the knob and yanks the door open.

Tommy pockets his phone and looks up, eyes meeting Felicity's disheveled appearance and taking in her short shorts and loose tank top. Her glasses rest on her nose, and her hair seems more purple in the hallway lighting where it sits in a messy bun on top of her head. He can't help but smirk at the dirty look she gives him, "Morning, sunshine."

Without saying a word, Felicity turns on her heels and makes her way towards the kitchen in desperate need of coffee, especially since Tommy is here. She loves the guy, but when he shows up at her door unexpectedly, it usually doesn't lead to a conversation about something particularly pleasant. Opening the cabinet, she reaches up on her tiptoes and grabs the first mug she feels, which happens to be her favorite _Star Wars_ one. She slides it under the spout and pops an Italian roast into the Keurig, pushing the start button before turning back to Tommy and leaning her elbows on the counter. "I'm guessing you're not just here to see how I'm liking my new place, right?"

"How are you liking it?" he asks, turning around and observing the space.

Felicity follows his eyes towards the living room before landing on the blue blanket draped across the couch and the stack of DVDs in the bookshelf in the corner. Her favorite pillow sits on the oversized chair, magazines and empty mugs littering the coffee table. Even though she's only been living here a few weeks, it already feels like home. It's making her start to understand that strange feeling she got when she was in Starling on her tour. She'd grown up in Las Vegas, but it had never felt right to her. It never felt like home. And she is deathly afraid of letting herself call this city home because of all the things that a home entails, the new friendships and relationships that will only end in disappointment. Sighing, her eyes find their way back to Tommy's, "It's nice."

"Just nice?" he raises a brow at her.

She arches a brow right back at him, "Yeah. It's nice." At the quiet beeping of the coffee maker, she heads over to it and grabs the mug, not even caring how hot it is before taking a hefty gulp. Closing her eyes, she moans at the taste and walks back to her previous position opposite where he sits at the counter. "So what's wrong?" she asks before taking another large sip of the rich liquid.

Tommy lifts his hand, and her eyes land on the magazine she didn't even notice he was carrying. He tosses it on the surface lightly so it lands in front of her. Setting down her mug, she picks up the magazine and reads the headline out loud, "Music's favorite wild child Felicity Smoak escapes the paparazzi with her new mystery boy toy." She laughs at the picture of her on the back of Oliver's motorcycle as she throws the magazine back on the counter, "So?"

"Care to explain so that I can fix any negative backlash? I mean, I didn't even know you were dating someone, let alone riding around on a motorcycle with him."

"Tommy, it's not even like that."

Now it's his turn to laugh, "Seriously? Felicity, it's always like that."

Felicity narrows her eyes at him, feeling anger bubble up inside her. "Alright, Mr. Know-It-All. For your information, I was out shopping when I ran into Thea Queen. We hung out and then her brother came to pick her up. When she noticed the cameras outside, she suggested that she go out the front as a distraction so that I could go out the back, which I did. I drove off on a motorcycle with Oliver - who is your best friend, by the way. They were just trying to help me."

"So your 'mystery boy toy' is Oliver?"

"Yes," she closes her eyes and shakes her head, "No! Yes, he is the guy in the picture, but no, we're not dating."

"Sorry," Tommy offers with an apologetic smile. "Don't worry about the press, they'll get bored when the story doesn't have anything else to fuel it."

She nods, still a little mad at him for what he said, "Thanks."

Standing up, Tommy starts to head back to the door before he remembers something, snapping his fingers as he turns back to her, "I almost forgot. The label wants you to start recording your new album within the month, so they want rough copies of some of your new songs."

Felicity casts her eyes down to the mug that has once again found its way to her hands, "Yeah, I don't… I don't exactly have that many songs completed."

"Well, how many are finished?"

"Yeah, um," she shrugs a shoulder and lowers her voice, "Like, none."

"I'm sorry, what?" Tommy asks as he takes a step towards her, voice slightly louder than before.

She cringes and finally meets his eyes again, "I have a few songs going but none of them are exactly finished yet…"

"Felicity -"

"- I know," she interrupts, "I know what the label wants. But I'm trying, okay? They're not the ones writing songs here, I am. And it sucks that I can't write anything if I have no inspiration, but that's the way it is. They'll get the songs when they're finished, they can suck it up and wait."

Tommy sighs and moves around the counter, "Lis, you know how highly I think of you and your music, and you know that I will always do whatever I can to protect your musical integrity. But I don't have magic. I can talk to the label and get them to lay off for a while, maybe push back the date they want to release your album by a few weeks. But I need you to do anything you can to get me some new songs to hold them over, okay? Can you do that, at least?"

"Yeah, I can do that," she promises after remaining silent for a few seconds. When he leans in for a hug, she accepts it, wrapping her arms around his waist. Even though they fight and disagree sometimes, her career would be nothing without Tommy. He has put in so much time and effort into getting her shows and sponsors and a label to support her. She knows that he would do anything for her, that's just the kind of guy that he is. She looks up at him after pulling away, "I'll send you some stuff by the end of the week."

"Thank you," he places a kiss to the top of her head before walking back towards the door. He pauses in the open doorway before calling back to her, "I'll see you later!"

Hearing the door latch into place, Felicity sighs, finishing off her coffee and deciding that she might as well stay awake and be productive with her day. Setting it down in the sink to wash later, she makes her way through the loft, snatching up the magazine on her way and plopping down on the couch. After a few seconds of staring at the cover, she flips through dozens of pages before finding the article. Her eyes scan the pages quickly, so used to these stories that she has learned how to pick out certain parts without needing to read the entire thing, seeing paragraphs talking about her exes and everything she's ever been in the headlines of the media for. Along the sides there are pictures of her with other celebrities, and along the bottom is a timeline of her best and worst outfits.

But what catches her attention is the largest image, a variation of the cover photo taken from a different angle. From this direction, it is easier to see her face and her eyes focus in on the smile tugging up the corners of her mouth as she was lifting the helmet onto her head. She hasn't seen herself look that genuinely happy in a very long time. She isn't saying that she is _never_ happy, she isn't depressed or anything like that. Nyssa and Roy and Tommy and Diggle, having them in her life makes her so happy, and she is thankful every day to have such amazing friends. But she knows what is missing in her life, she's always known. She audibly sighs because, can she even miss something that she never really had?

Unable to take her eyes off the pictures of herself getting on the motorcycle, they travel over to the man sitting in front of her. She doesn't know why, but when Oliver took her to that clearing, to the space that he has felt safe in since he was young, she felt safe too. She has never told anyone in her new life anything about her past, and the other night she just kept talking without a second thought. There is something about Oliver that has her hooked, and it's killing her on the inside because she knows that this man could change her entire life; he already has, in a way. It has been nagging on her mind because she doesn't do this - she isn't the type of girl to lose herself in a guy, she never has been. It just isn't who she is. But she is starting to think that instead of losing herself in Oliver, she might end up finding herself. And the worst part is that all this confusion is preventing her from doing the one thing she knows she was always meant to do.

Tossing the magazine on the coffee table, Felicity shuffles off the couch and heads to the master bathroom, scooping up her phone from her nightstand to call in some reinforcements. She holds the phone to her ear and listens to it ring while turning on the shower, letting the water heat up.

 _"Hello?"_ a voice answers the phone.

"Hey, it's Felicity," the blonde says as she starts ridding herself of her clothes, "I need you guys to come to Starling."

* * *

Oliver climbs off his motorcycle parked in the driveway of his childhood home, setting his helmet down on the seat and taking in the extravagant house that is Queen Manor. Sighing, he stuffs his keys into his leather jacket along with his phone and walks to the front door, opening it without knocking and entering the foyer. Checking the time on the grandfather clock, he realizes that he is a few minutes early to pick up his mother for lunch, so he moves into the living room to wait. As soon as he gets through the archway, his eyes land on the last person he wants to see and he turns around quickly. Apparently, luck isn't on his side, which he realizes at the sound of his name, scrunching up his face before turning around.

"Oliver," his father greets with only a small touch of surprise lacing his voice from where he stands near a side table, going through the mail for the day.

Straightening his stance, he clenches his jaw at the older man and grits out, "Robert."

Robert sighs, dropping the envelope in his hand back to the pile and taking a few steps closer to his son, "Really? You still insist on not calling me 'dad'?"

"Well, considering you'd actually have to have parented me for at least one day of my life, it's not exactly fitting," Oliver retorts, his voice devoid of emotion at this point in their relationship.

The older man ignores the remark, "And how is the club that I paid for doing lately?"

Narrowing his eyes at him, Oliver feels the anger that he is so used to building up inside him from being this close to the man that dare call himself his father. He always has to throw that fact in his face, even though at this point Oliver has almost payed him back completely, not wanting to owe this man anything. "I don't know, how's Isabel doing?"

Checking the space around them for anyone who might overhear their conversation, Robert takes another few steps towards him. "I thought we reached an agreement, Son. What kind of businessman can't even uphold something from the simplest of contracts?"

"The kind who walks in on his father cheating on his mother with his secretary, who acts like a cheap hooker."

Both men stare each other down, neither of them knowing what to say or wanting to cave in first. Luckily, the silence is broken when Thea comes barreling down the stairs. "Ollie, I saw your motorcycle. Have you seen this magazine cover because it is so…," she looks up and immediately feels the familiar tension in the room, eyes moving between her brother and her father, "Uh… what's up?"

"Nothing," Oliver says without looking at her before finally dragging his eyes away from Robert and to his baby sister, plastering a fake smile on his face, "I'm taking Mom to lunch. You want to come with?"

"No, I have plans," she answers skeptically, still looking between them before settling on Oliver. "I just wanted to show you this magazine, you're on the cover."

His eyebrows knit together in confusion, "I am?" He hasn't been worthy of a cover story in years.

Thea shuffles around the couch, holding out the magazine until he snatches it from her grasp, "Well it's you, but they don't know it's you."

Flipping through the booklet until finding the actual story, he sees pictures of himself and Felicity on his bike littering the pages, the sides and bottom covered with smaller pictures of her. Over the years, he and Thea have learned not to let anything the media says bother them. But when his eyes focus on the headline calling him Felicity's 'mystery boy toy', he becomes uncharacteristically angry with the term, angry with the whole article actually. The way they talk about Felicity is ridiculous; they have no idea who she is or what she's like. He supposes neither does he, not really. Not yet, at least. But he likes to think that he knows her enough to know that she doesn't deserve to be called the names some people call her just because the color of her hair or the way she dresses sometimes.

He hands it back over to Thea, "They'll get bored eventually, they always do."

"Get bored of what?" Moira asks as she walks into the room, fingers deftly finishing putting in her earring.

"Oliver and one of his new girlfriends," Robert supplies dryly.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Oliver sends his father a glare before tilting his head to his mother, "It's nothing. Just some stupid story. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Moira answers, giving Thea a kiss on the cheek before the younger girl heads back up to her room, and then moving to say goodbye to her husband. Oliver tries his hardest not to march over there and punch his father straight in the jaw, feeling bile rise in the back of his throat at the sight of him returning Moira's embrace.

She pulls away and sends Oliver a smile before moving to the coffee table to grab her purse. Sending him a stiff smile, Robert says, "Have a nice time. Hopefully we'll see you at Sunday's family dinner, Oliver."

"I wouldn't count on it, Robert," he sends him a fake smile before heading out of the room and to the door, opening it and walking out, knowing that his mother will follow. Also knowing that she will definitely object to taking his motorcycle to the restaurant, he slides into the town car waiting for them. A few minutes later, Moira joins him, telling her driver, Frank, the name of the restaurant they are going to before turning to her son.

"Oliver, this disagreement with your father has gone on long enough," she starts, not wasting any time.

Closing his eyes in annoyance, he moves his gaze from the window to the older woman, "It's not a disagreement."

"Yes, it is. I don't know what happened between you two, but I can only assume you are upset with your father because he wants you to take over the family business, and you are too stubborn to listen to him."

He tries not to let his anger get the best of him, "You don't know what you're talking about, Mom."

She sighs, "I just think that you should spend more time at the house with your family. Especially since you ended your relationship with Laurel. Y'know, your father and I have always believed that you would marry that girl. We're still hoping you will, if I'm being completely honest."

Oliver sighs, "Laurel and I… We've been over for a long time and we're not going to get back together. I've moved on."

That perks his mother's interest and she raises a brow in question, "You're seeing someone new?"

"No," he shoots her an exasperated look, wanting to end that line of thinking before it runs wild, "I just meant generally speaking. I'm over her."

"Well, I think that you should give your relationship with her another chance once she starts feeling better over her mother's passing."

He sighs, running a hand over his face, "I really don't want to talk about this. Or Dad."

"Alright," Moira agrees, albeit reluctantly, and they fall into a slightly uncomfortable silence as they drive to the restaurant for lunch.

* * *

After checking the time on her phone, Felicity pockets it and leans back on the bench she is sitting on in the park, taking in the nature surrounding her. She made sure to wear her oversized sunglasses to at least try to conceal her identity, but she has never really been a fan of the cliché dark shades, baseball cap and hoodie combination. If people recognize her, they recognize her. If they ask for pictures or autographs, she is more than happy to do that for her fans. And if the paparazzi show up to take pictures of her then so be it; they usually try to stay hidden anyway so that she doesn't change her behavior because she knows they're watching her. And if they're looking for anything to help fuel the new rumors about her and her mystery man, they won't find it today.

Felicity turns her head to the right, catching sight of the blonde she has been waiting for, and she stands up, offering a smile. "Hey."

"Hey," Sara returns as she comes to a stop a few feet away from her. "Sorry I'm a little late, I couldn't leave the club until the other bartender showed up to get everything ready for tonight."

"No worries, I haven't been waiting long. And seriously, this city is gorgeous and I could probably sit on this bench for hours," Felicity chuckles.

"You're telling me," she agrees with a laugh. Taking in a breath, Sara's eyes move around, analyzing their surroundings before facing Felicity again. "So, where should we start?"

Felicity shrugs and gestures with her hands, "Lead the way."

"Alright," she nods and turns around, the two blondes falling into step with one another. After walking through the park, they approach one of those food/drink carts and stand in line. Tilting her head back over her shoulder, Sara furrows her brows, "Please tell me you know that extremely muscular man that has been following us."

Felicity mimics her, peering over her shoulder and laughing at Diggle, who is probably the least inconspicuous person she has ever met. "Yeah, that's Dig. Tommy insists on me having a bodyguard. Actually, he wanted me to have three, but I set him straight."

"Oh, would I have loved to see that," Sara chuckles.

"You guys grew up together, right?"

"Yes and no," she shrugs. "I mean, I've known him for my whole life, but he was three years older than me. He and Oliver were in the same grade as my sister, Laurel. She actually dated Oliver, which is probably why we're so close."

That last bit of information piques Felicity's interest. "Are they still dating? Oliver and Laurel, I mean," she asks, trying to sound nonchalant when deep down, she is just hoping that he isn't another lying cheater.

Sara sees right through her but chooses not to say anything about it as she tries to suppress her smile. It was so obvious to her that night in the club that _something_ must've happened, or at the very least, was _going_ to happen between them. "No. He broke things off almost five months ago."

"Oh," is her only response to that, and she curses herself for the way her heart flutters in reassurance that he had indeed been single when they slept together. She clears her throat and then utilizes this brief silence as a chance to change the subject, "So you're a bartender. What's that like?"

"It has its perks," Sara shrugs, "I mean, it's fun and I enjoy doing it for the time being. Working at a club where I am good friends with the owner isn't so bad either." Both girls let out a soft laugh until she speaks again, "It's just not something that I see myself doing as a career. At least I hope not."

"What do you want to do then?" she asks as she reaches out and grabs her lemonade with a smile and a quiet 'thank you'.

Sara does the same, taking a large sip as she leads them to the sidewalk before responding, "When I'm not at the club, I have another job teaching self-defense classes at a gym near my apartment. I guess it's my dream to open up my own gym offering different classes to help anyone learn to defend themselves, and to give kids a place to go if they're struggling. There's a lot of poverty in the glades and a lot of the gangs are full of kids not even old enough to drive. I want to give them an opportunity to choose a different life for themselves."

"Wow," Felicity tilts her head to the other blonde, "That's kind of amazing."

"Thanks, but at this point I don't think it's ever going to happen."

She shakes her head, "Hey, take it from me. Sometimes the things that seem impossible end up being more possible than you think. When I was growing up, I didn't even allow myself to fantasize about being a singer. I still didn't even when our band got together and started playing small gigs. Then one day, everything changed and here I am." Felicity changes directions slightly and tosses her empty cup into a garbage can before catching up and glancing at the other blonde, "You shouldn't underestimate yourself."

Sara shoots her a smile and stops walking, pointing over her shoulder at a diner a few feet away, "How about some lunch?

"Big Belly Burger," Felicity reads before a wide grin spreads across her face as they head inside, "Sounds like my kinda place."


	6. Chapter 5

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Felicity's voice tapers off as she finishes the last note of one of their new songs, the instrumental sounds echoing before fading into silence. She lifts the headphones from her head and hangs them on the microphone. Sighing, she turns around to her bandmates with a smile, "Good job, let's take a break." Tommy nods through the glass, approving the break before moving to take a phone call, leaving the board technician in the room to play back the track. Grabbing her bottled water, she takes a few gulps and thinks back over the song they'd just recorded a dry run of, feeling pretty good about it. Tommy had gotten the label to lay off a little on the pressure for her new album but they still needed something to keep them satisfied, so instead of recording multiple songs to preview to them, she put all her effort into perfecting the songs one at a time. She needs to feel good and true about her songs more than she needs to care about making the executives happy.

Setting down her water, Felicity turns to observe her bandmates, who are both using this time to have a snack and joke around. The other week after Tommy left her apartment, she called Nyssa and told her she needed her and Roy to come to Starling. While she didn't necessarily want to make them move here, she had Tommy arrange for them to have a place to stay for a few weeks. Without their help, she probably wouldn't even be done writing the song they are recording for the execs today. Felicity moves over to where they sit on stools, Roy's guitar resting on its stand while Nyssa twirls her drumsticks around her fingers. "Guys, seriously, I cannot thank you enough for coming out here for me. I know you guys have your own lives that shouldn't revolve around me deciding I need a change."

Both of the band members halt their conversation and turn to their friend. Roy furrows his brows at her, "Of course we came, Blondie. We're a team, remember?"

She huffs a laugh, "I'm not blonde anymore."

"Oh, you'll always be Blondie to me, Blondie."

"Yeah. Roy's idiocy aside," Nyssa arches a brow at him before turning back to Felicity with a small smile, "He's right. We're a team, always. We play where you play."

"I don't deserve friends like you guys," Felicity gushes teasingly, pulling them both into a group hug. Nyssa laughs and wraps an arm around her while Roy rolls his eyes in an attempt to seem like he doesn't care when in fact, he loves these two women like sisters.

"Yeah, yeah. But you're stuck with us," Roy grumbles and she pulls away, smiling at the younger man before pinching his cheeks. He groans as he moves away and out of her reach while the women laugh at him. Sometimes they treat him like a baby on purpose because they know it annoys him, what with being the youngest member of the band at only 20.

Felicity opens her mouth to respond when the speaker crackles before Diggle's voice fills the air, "Miss Smoak, Thea Queen is here to see you."

She turns to peer over her shoulder before nodding to her bodyguard and smiling when he opens the door, letting the younger girl walk through with a look of amazement coloring her face as she takes in her surroundings. "Wow, I've never been in a recording studio before," Thea admits.

Chuckling, Felicity shifts between the three people in the room, "Thea, as I'm sure you know, these are my bandmates Nyssa Raatko and Roy Harper. Guys, one of my new friends from Starling, Thea Queen."

"Nice to meet you," Nyssa greets with her classic half-grin while Roy sends her a nod.

Thea's eyes linger on Roy for a few more seconds than necessary before she sends the dark-haired woman a smile. "It's great meeting you too, I'm obviously a huge fan."

Opening her mouth to say something, Nyssa gets cut off when the speaker crackles on once again, but instead of hearing Diggle's voice, the sound board technician speaks up. "Hey Nyssa, Roy. Can you guys do a few practice notes with your instruments? They're coming through a little off and I wanna double check things."

"Sure thing," Roy says before nodding at Thea once more, "See you around."

"Yeah, totally," Thea coos, hoping that her voice doesn't sound as sated as she feels at not only meeting the remaining members of her favorite band, but at meeting Roy in particular. She's always had a crush on him, and he is even more attractive in person than in photos or on stage. Felicity huffs a laugh and wraps her fingers around the younger girl's wrist, tugging her from the room as the others head over to their respective instruments.

Leading them to stand near one of the sofas against the wall, the sounds of drums and guitars clash together as background noise. "Thanks for meeting me here, Tommy won't let me leave until we finish. He's always complaining about how they charge for the hour and blah, blah, blah," she rolls her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest and offering Thea a small smile and a raised eyebrow. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Thea finally tears her eyes away from where they're trained on Roy through the window, watching as he strums his fingers along his guitar aimlessly. She closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly, clearing her mind and remembering what she wanted to ask. "Uh, yeah. So, I just turned eighteen a few weeks ago and I'm graduating from high school in two weeks. And instead of doing something huge for both, I did my birthday just with my family. But I am gonna have a sort of dual-purpose party; Ollie already said that I can have it at Verdant and I was wondering… Would you guys maybe be willing to play a couple songs?" she asks, nerves tinting her voice.

Before Felicity can answer, Thea quickly jumps right back in, "I could totally pay you for it and you'd only have to play a few songs, not a whole set list. Other than that, I'm just gonna have Verdant's DJ work the music, but this bitch from school, Natalie Rodriguez? She set her graduation party on the same day as mine thinking that she could one-up me but like, people will choose my party over hers anyway because I'm Thea Queen. But a special appearance by _City in Smoke_ wouldn't hurt to make sure everyone comes to mine."

Shooting out her arms to rest her hands on Thea's shoulders, Felicity laughs, "Take a breath." After the younger girl complies, taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out, she continues, "We'd be happy to play, don't worry about it."

"Really?" she asks, trying to contain her excitement, which just makes Felicity chuckle again as she nods her head in confirmation. Thea jumps in place and claps her hands together before enveloping her in a hug, letting out a _'yay!'._ After pulling away, Thea gushes, "Thank you so much, Felicity. Um… Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why are you being so nice to me? I'm like, four years younger than you, and we barely even know each other," she says, voice less excited than before and coated in hidden insecurities.

"Honestly? It's kind of hard to make real friends when you're famous. Everyone is usually after the fame and the parties and the money. But, I don't know… There's just something about Starling that's different. You're different; you and Sara and your brother don't treat me like I'm special. I can just be a _person._ And that doesn't come around too often for me." Felicity blinks, her expression similar to the younger girl's, slightly taken aback by her own uncharacteristic bout of honesty.

After a few seconds, Thea smiles, "Well, you don't treat me like just another stupid, spoiled kid. So, I guess that makes us even."

She nods slightly, "I guess so."

"Thank you again, I'll text you the date and other details for the party." Thea takes a few steps before stopping and spinning halfway on her heels, a smirk on her face enhanced by the raised curve of one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "My brother?"

Felicity sucks in a sharp breath at the realization she had mentioned Oliver being different without even a thought. She opens and closes her mouth several times, not knowing what to say to defend herself against the thoughts that are no doubt running through the brunette's mind, the knowing look on her face being enough to showcase the assumptions she must be silently making. At her continued silence, Thea chuckles to herself softly. Waving goodbye to the older woman, she backs towards the door before turning around and exiting into the hallway where Felicity can see through the glass as she gives Tommy a half-hug goodbye, what with him still being on the phone with someone. After a few moments standing in silence, staring straight ahead at nothing, she is broken from her spell by the sound of the board technician saying her name. Felicity pushes aside her thoughts of Oliver and turns, sending the older man a small smile before heading into the booth to run the track again.

* * *

"No, no, no! C'mon!" Oliver and Tommy shout in unison at the Seattle Seahawks scoring another touchdown, putting them in the lead against Starling City's own Rockets. Oliver plops back down on the couch with a sigh while Tommy remains standing. "Want another beer?" he asks with a raised brow before heading to his kitchen at Oliver's nod. Opening the fridge, he pulls out two bottles and rummages through drawers until he finds what he's looking for, using it to pop open the tops before making his way back into the living room. He hands one to his best friend and falls back, joining him on the couch. Looking for the remote, he finds it and turns down the volume, not interested in the commercials during half time.

"Hey, you have plans for this Saturday?" Tommy asks after taking a sip of his beer.

"Not sure, why?"

He shrugs, "No reason. I just have this friend… who's a girl… and who wants to meet you…"

Oliver groans at his friend, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling for a few seconds before tilting his chin, "No, you are not setting me up again."

"Hey," Tommy points a finger at him, "Carrie was hot."

"Carrie was crazy, Tommy," he shakes his head. "She had names picked out for our future children before dessert."

"Fine. I'll give you that one. But Helena was hot too!"

Oliver chuckles and shakes his head as he takes a sip of his beer. "She was crazy too."

"What?" Tommy huffs and raises a brow, "What did she do?"

"Oh I don't know, let's see. On our second date, I was getting us drinks from the bar when some woman asked me to pass her a napkin for her drink and Helena thought she was hitting on me, so she tackled her to the ground in a jealous rage," Oliver explains, still in as much disbelief as he was when a police officer had to pull Helena off the poor woman.

He stares at him in silence for a few seconds before giving in, bringing the bottle to his lips, "I forgot about that."

"Yeah, I wish I could forget."

Setting his beer on the coffee table, Tommy maneuvers himself so that he is facing his friend more. "Okay, I'll admit that I've set you up with a few crazies in the past, but this girl is totally sane. Probably. Maybe, I don't know her that well. But she's a hot model named Samantha, and she wants you." He lifts a finger to Oliver when he opens his mouth, stopping him from talking, "C'mon, man. It's just one date. You've been broken up with Laurel for months now, Ollie, and you haven't gotten past a second date with anyone since her. I'm worried about you, man."

"Tommy, I'm fine." He sits up a little straighter, "Laurel is a part of my past and only my past. And I appreciate you trying to set me up, but I don't need it. I'm perfectly capable of finding my own dates."

"I know that you think that, but dude. As far as I know, you haven't had sex in like, six months. And Samantha is hot, you don't even have to like her! She won't even care! Seriously, you need to move on from Laurel because she -"

"- Tommy," Oliver interrupts, trying not to get annoyed with his friend. "I promise you, I've moved on."

He scoffs, "Yeah? With who?"

Opening his mouth to respond, telling Tommy that he needs to back off and mind his own business, when he uncontrollably feels Felicity's name on the tip of his tongue. Luckily, he manages to fight what feels so natural to say, taking a breath and shaking his head. "Just… someone. You don't know her."

"What? Who is she?" Tommy asks, hitting his upper arm with the back of his hand.

"You, you don't know her. We're just friends but I don't know… There's just something about her. I can't get her out of my head," he explains, unable to stop a smile from tugging up the corners of his mouth as he lowers his head, fingers picking at the wrapper around his beer bottle.

"Dude," Tommy lets out before bursting out laughing. His laughter only increases at the glare his best friend sends him. "Oh my god, Ollie. You're literally blushing right now. You are so whipped," he manages to get out as he struggles to breathe.

Rolling his eyes, Oliver pushes his shoulder hard enough to shove him against the arm of the couch with a muttered 'shut up'. "This is why I don't tell you things."

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he says as he tries to repress his laughter. Finally quieting down enough to talk, he takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry. It's actually kinda cute that you have a crush on someone."

Oliver hits him again and Tommy chuckles, holding his hands up in defense. Snatching the remote from the coffee table, Oliver turns the volume back up and settles into the couch, eyes trained on the screen. "Can we just watch the game please?"

"Sure," Tommy relents with a skeptical eye on his friend before mimicking his position, sinking back against the plush couch cushions and bringing the bottle in his hand to his lips.

Both men sit through the rest of the game with few words, just the occasional cheer or curse directed towards the referees. The game comes to an end with the Rockets taking another victory, one of the receivers having caught the ball and ran through the end zone at the last second. Oliver stands and fishes his keys from his pocket, "I gotta head out. Thanks for the beer." He gives Tommy a nod and heads to the door, pulling it open. Before he can step out into the hallway, Tommy's voice drags him back.

"Ollie. All joking aside, whoever this girl is? You should go for it with her. If just the mere thought of her can bring a smile to your face like the one you had, you shouldn't let her get away," he advises with a small smile.

Oliver nods at his words and sends him a smile before stepping into the hallway, closing the door behind him and heading towards the elevator. It opens and he steps inside, staring straight ahead as it rumbles to life and starts its journey down to the main floor. He can't help but let his thoughts wander, analyzing his best friend's words. If only he knew the girl he's urging him to go for is Felicity. And god, does he want to go for it. Ever since they rode off on his motorcycle to _his_ special spot, he literally has not been able to stop thinking about her and everything they talked about.

 _You might just ruin me, Oliver Queen._

That sentence has been on repeat in his mind as he has been trying to dissect every word. It's a short statement but is anything but simple, because he can't help but feel the exact same thing about Felicity Smoak.

* * *

Felicity finishes towel drying her hair, letting the curls fall around her face as she tosses the towel, along with the clothes she'd worn today, into the hamper in the corner of the bathroom. Heading into her bedroom, she goes to her closet and opens a few drawers before pulling on leggings and a loose tank top. She makes her way into the hall and starts towards her kitchen, in desperate need of some food after the long day she had recording, followed by getting drinks with Nyssa and Roy, when the speaker mounted next to her front door beeps. Changing her course, she jogs through the living room to the door, pressing her index finger to the talk button. "Yeah?"

Holding down the speaker button, Diggle's voice comes through clearly, "Miss Smoak, Oliver Queen is here to see you. Should I send him up?"

Felicity furrows her brows in confusion. What the hell is Oliver doing here at almost 11 at night? She pushes the talk button once again, "Um, no. I'll come down, have him wait." Backing away, she turns and inspects herself in the mirror hanging on the wall, running her fingers through her hair a few times before bending down and flipping it back up. Once she's satisfied, she slips on some sandals near the door and grabs her key from the table, exiting her apartment and taking the elevator down. When it dings open, she steps out, her eyes immediately landing on Oliver standing across from Diggle, the older man staring him down with skeptical eyes, analyzing if he'll be any kind of threat. He doesn't notice her yet as her eyes scan up and down his body, drinking in his appearance. Her mouth nearly goes dry at his dark jeans and boots combo, but what really sends her over the edge is the black beanie he is wearing, standing so casual with his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. After taking a moment to collect herself, she steps closer and she knows the second they notice her. Both men's heads turn towards her, a smile immediately tugging up the corners of Oliver's mouth as he takes her in.

Removing his hands from his pockets, he takes a step closer to her, "Hey."

"Hi," she responds with a small smile, eyebrows still slightly drawn together in confusion. Oliver opens his mouth to say something else when he pauses, shooting a glance at Diggle, who is still standing close to the pair. "Digg, he's not gonna try and kidnap me. You can take a breath," she directs him and their eyes connect. She nods her head to the side and after a few seconds of staring Oliver down, Diggle saunters his way towards the front door of the building, stopping and standing near the doorman.

With Digg further away, Oliver moves another step towards her. "Hey," he says again.

"Hi," she responds with a small chuckle. "No offense but... Why are you here?"

Staring down at her with a smile, he sucks in a deep breath to build up some courage before speaking. "Felicity," he breathes out. "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

She pauses, her mouth opening and closing a couple times as she tries to focus on the words that just came out of his mouth. "Are you…," Felicity grins up at him under long lashes, "Oliver, did you come all the way over to my apartment at 11 o'clock at night to ask me on a date?"

He pauses as if he's thinking it over before meeting her eyes again, a light in them that hasn't been there for a long time, "Yes."

"Hmm," she hums. "I'll have to think about it." Felicity spins on her heels and makes her way back to the elevator she rode down in, flipping her hair over her shoulders. Oliver stands there frozen for a few seconds, not expecting that kind of a response from her. Still confused, he turns and starts heading towards the door. "Oliver," she calls from her spot standing behind the open doors causing him to stop and turn back towards her. Felicity smiles at him as the doors start to close, "Yes." Oliver releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding at her answer, the corners of his mouth lifting as he watches her disappear behind the silver doors.


	7. Chapter 6

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

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 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

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"Hey Curtis," Felicity greets the man who's just a few years older than her as she walks through the glass door, shoving her phone into her bag as Diggle follows closely behind her.

Curtis Holt, Tommy's executive assistant and frequent genius life-saver, removes his eyes from his computer screen and looks up at her behind his glasses, a wide smile growing on his face. "Miss Smoak, hi. Mister Merlyn is expecting you."

She rolls her eyes with a soft laugh, "Why does no one listen when I tell them to call me Felicity?" She sends a look to both Diggle and Curtis, "I mean it guys. You make me feel old, which is extra weird because I'm younger than you both."

"Sorry, of course. You can head on in, Mi - Felicity," he quickly corrects himself with a smile at her raised brow, and she nods in appreciation before heading into Tommy's office without knocking, closing the door behind her and forcing Digg to stay outside. She loves the guy, but Tommy is a serious freak about other people being present for their meetings.

Tommy holds up a finger to her, signaling for her to wait while he finishes up his phone call; why does it seem like he is always on the phone? Sitting down in one of the plush arm chairs, she reaches forward and grabs a magazine from the coffee table, obviously put there by Curtis in an attempt to warm the place up amongst the crisp blacks and whites of the office. Thumbing through the pages, she comes across the celebrity fashion pages, noticing herself more than once. The 'best dressed' list actually includes her, not that it matters, from when she attended a movie premiere a few weeks earlier because she recorded its featured song. She didn't win 'who wore it best' though, losing out to Kendall Jenner. Felicity chuckles and turns the page, truly not even caring that she apparently hadn't worn a t-shirt as well as Kendall did when the only thing she was seeking was comfort.

"Sorry about that," Tommy says as he hangs up, pulling her from the article she isn't really reading.

She tosses the magazine back on the table and leans back in her chair, left leg crossing over her bare knee as she watches Tommy settle into the chair across from her. "So, what's up?"

He sighs, "Well, I wanted to let you know that I handed over the song you gave me to the label along with a few of the partials you sent."

"Okay," she says as she leans forward in her seat, eager to hear any feedback. "And?" She watches as he struggles to find words; he _never_ struggles to find words. The smile falls from her face and she arches her brows at him, "Just tell me."

"Okay," he takes a breath to prepare himself. "They weren't exactly… as… _thrilled_ about everything as they have been in the past."

Felicity stares at him silently for a few moments, trying to decipher the words he just relayed. _As thrilled_. What does that even mean? "I don't understand. You're saying that they didn't like the song? The song that I wrote and recorded with Roy and Nyssa last week?"

He shakes his head, raising his hands to try to wave off her panic, "They didn't _not_ like it, exactly. They just thought it was a little different than most of what you've written in the past. They think that you might be trying to take things in a new direction that may not resonate with all of your fans."

"That's ridiculous. Not only would our fans support anything we record, but I'm not trying to take things into a 'new direction'," she mocks the last two words, deepening her voice and even lifting her hands, curling her fingers to imitate air quotes. "I wrote this song just like I wrote every other song I've ever recorded; nothing has changed. Just because I'm in a better place emotionally right now, I am no longer capable of doing my job?"

"Hey," Tommy tries to calm her down as she stands and starts pacing, running her fingers through her bubblegum hair in frustration. "That's not what they're saying. They just think that it's a little different than what you normally do, and fans? They don't always like _different_. And that scares the execs at the label because all they care about is money, money that comes from your fans."

Sighing, Felicity faces him with a hand on her cocked hip, "Alright, so what do they expect me to do? Throw away my notebook and write twelve new songs? Because I'm not doing that. I like what I wrote, and I like the way it came together with Nyssa and Roy, and so do they. It's our music, not theirs."

"I know that. And I told them that," he assures, rising to his feet and stepping towards her, brushing his hands along her arms. "I promised that I wouldn't let you compromise your musical integrity and I meant it. This is just about money."

"Because they think a new album with these songs won't _make_ them any money," she concludes and Tommy has no response because she's right, that's exactly what they think.

He sighs and rubs a hand over his face, "I mean, I'll try to talk to them. But I don't know how far that'll get me. You're in a contract, so they can't just not put out your album, but they can definitely prioritize other artists over you guys."

Groaning, she turns her back to him, holding a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes. She doesn't say anything; she just needs a few seconds of silence to _think._ It doesn't take as long as she thought it would before an idea comes to mind, and she rotates her body to face her manager once again. "What if I prove to them that our fans will be on board with some of our new stuff?"

"Like, do a showcase type of thing? I guess that could work, I can try to set something up -"

"- Actually," she interrupts, "I already have something in mind. Thea Queen is having a huge birthday-slash-graduation party in two weeks and she asked if _City in Smoke_ could perform, and I said yes. We can mix in some new stuff with the old. People will probably record it and put it online, then the label can see what people think."

He thinks about it for a few seconds before nodding with a small smile, "Sounds like a good idea. I'll tell the label and try to get them to hold off until then. Hopefully I can stop them from rearranging tour dates and CD signings with other artists they have more confidence in. Clearly they don't know good music when they hear it. Now all you have to do is finish the remaining songs."

Felicity smiles weakly at his attempt to make her feel better and she can't resist, stepping forward and pulling her friend into a hug. This situation doesn't bother her because they didn't like her song, of course there are people who aren't going to like their music, she accepted that long ago. But the fact that they somehow think it sounds different than everything she has ever written just gets under her skin. Her music means everything to her and she believes in it, no matter what some middle-aged guys in stuffy suits say about it.

* * *

Oliver tries to relax his clenched jaw, eyes focused on the plate of chicken caesar salad on the table in front of him as he attempts to release the tension locking his muscles. This is the last place he wants to be, especially now, especially _today_. Tonight is his date with Felicity and he's a little embarrassed to admit just how excited he is, the feeling that this could be an actual start to something real in his life overwhelming him in the best way possible. But earlier this morning, his mother called and pleaded for him to come home for lunch with her and Thea, having reassured him that his father wouldn't be there. Moira, however, is a very talented liar.

They all sit around the circular table on the back patio of the mansion, Robert seated across from Oliver and Moira across from Thea. When he got here, he saw his father and turned a glare to his mother before trying to escape, but Thea had stopped him, begging her older brother to stay and spend time with them. Since the day she was born, Oliver has never been able to refuse his baby sister anything when she stared up at him with her doe-like eyes.

No one has said anything in twelve minutes. _Twelve_. For twelve minutes, they've just been sitting in silence, the only thing to be heard being the soft clinking of forks against plates. _Twelve. Minutes._ He has nothing to say to the man sitting across from him, nothing that can be said in front of his mom and baby sister, that is. Finally, Thea sighs and decides to break the tension surrounding the Queen family. "So I got _City in Smoke_ to play at my party at Verdant in two weeks," she beams, taking a bite of her salad.

Moira smiles at her daughter as she lifts her glass of iced tea to her lips, "Well that's wonderful, sweetheart. That's your favorite band, correct?"

"Yeah," she nods, wide smile still on her face. "Tommy manages them, and that's actually who me and Ollie met backstage after their concert a few months ago. And the lead singer, Felicity, just moved here and she like, actually wants to be friends with me."

"Well, why wouldn't she?" Robert says, smiling adoringly at his little girl.

Moira tilts her head towards him, "And you, Oliver? Have you met this 'Felicity' character?"

 _You could say that_ , he barely manages to prevent from slipping out. He clears his throat, slightly surprised at the news of her band performing in his club, "Yeah, we've met a few times. She's a great girl."

"Great is an understatement," Thea offers. "She's really cool and down to earth. I mean, she's four years older than me but doesn't treat me like a kid, like _some_ people," she pointedly moves her eyes to focus on Oliver, to which he just shrugs.

Looking up, Moira lifts her brows in slight surprise, "This girl is only twenty-two? She's not involved with Tommy, is she? Because she is much too young for him, especially considering she is a celebrity."

Oliver's gaze falls to focus on the table again, being sure to hide anything on his face that could give away what he's feeling because apparently, he can't control his facial expressions when Felicity is involved. He wants to scoff and roll his eyes at his mom, always the picture of perfection and grace, hassling Tommy and him about 'finding a respectable girl' and 'settling down'. He can hear her voice perfectly in his head, lecturing like when they were teenagers. Especially considering he is technically older than Tommy by three months, though they are currently both twenty-nine.

"No, Mom," Thea rolls her eyes, "She isn't involved with Tommy. I'm pretty sure he's just her manager. Besides, who cares about age? Especially when the younger person is more mature than their actual age."

Robert nearly snorts, "What, like you? Thea, you are hardly mature enough to make your own decisions, as if being eighteen makes you an adult."

She furrows her brows in anger as she looks to her father before pushing her chair back, standing and walking around the table back into the house. Watching after her until she disappears around a corner, Oliver turns cold eyes to Robert, a sarcastic grin on his face, "Wow, it's like you don't even have to _try_ to make your children want nothing to do with you."

"Oliver, please," Moira starts, sighing as she places a hand to her forehead with closed eyes while mentally preparing herself for the fight most likely to follow, no matter her objections.

Robert doesn't even flinch at his son's comment, "It's not my fault that, much like her brother, Thea doesn't want to grow up and accept responsibility for her actions."

"I have grown up," Oliver defends himself. "I went to college and worked my ass off to graduate. I got my degree and I started my own business, a very successful business. And yeah, you may have given me the money I needed to open Verdant, but I have more than paid you back. _I_ did that. All you did was hope for me to fail." He mimics Thea's haste and stands, making a loud screeching noise as the legs of the chair drag across the brick patio. "Well guess what, _Dad_. I didn't fail. Is that something that you can say for yourself?"

He scoffs, "In case you haven't realized, I have managed to create a multi- _billion_ -dollar company, a legacy for this family. All you had to do was take over what was rightfully yours."

"I never wanted the company!" Oliver screams, unable to restrain himself as he finally loses it, nearly thirty years of anger finally boiling over. "God, don't you get that? All my life, all you have ever done is tell me that whatever I do, whoever I am, isn't good enough. Not good enough to be like _Robert Queen_. But the thing is? I am so grateful that I am _nothing_ like you." He turns, starting to follow Thea's path to the door when his mother makes him pause.

"Oliver Jonas Queen, you do not talk to your father that way after everything he has done for you and this family," Moira stares at him, voice stern as if she's admonishing a child.

Turning back to look at his mother, he lets out a humorless laugh, "This _family_ _?"_ Without thinking, he moves his hard gaze to his father before flicking his eyes back to Moira. "Why don't you ask him what he's been doing with his assistant while supposedly taking care of this family." Without another word, he spins on his heels and hightails it out of his childhood home, needing to release some of his anger. Oliver slams the door behind him, moving down the front steps two at a time before grabbing his helmet and hopping onto his motorcycle.

A million thoughts run through his mind as he speeds down the driveway, gravel crunching and shooting backwards from the force of the rapidly spinning back wheel. Not only had he finally, _really_ exploded at Robert, but he had told his mom the secret he's been keeping for months just to twist the knife. But that information doesn't just hurt his father; it hurts Moira too, which is exactly why he decided to keep the secret in the first place.

When Oliver had gone to see his father at work to invite him to lunch, hoping to use the opportunity to ask him about loaning money to open a club, he never expected to catch Robert with another woman, let alone Isabel Rochev. That woman has had countless conversations with his mother - hell, she has even been to their house dozens of time - and she still had the nerve to have an affair with her married boss. After he saw them, Robert tried to chase Oliver down and stop him from leaving but was unsuccessful, settling for pulling his son into his office when he arrived home for dinner. That was when they struck a deal: Robert would give him the money to start his own business as long as Oliver kept his father's secret. The only reason he agreed to the older man's terms was because he couldn't open Verdant with no money and that was his last shot at showing his family, the _city_ , that he was more than just another spoiled playboy. And while he couldn't stand the ache in his chest every time he saw or spoke to his mother, he knew that telling her the truth would destroy her entire world. He just couldn't do it, no matter how much he wanted to.

Not even having to think about it, he drives the memorized path to the clearing on the hill, needing to be alone somewhere. This place has always made him feel safe, even now as a grown man. As he settles on the ground, back resting against a tree, he sighs and runs both hands over his face. _What the hell did I do?_

* * *

Sighing, Felicity stares out the window of her town car lost in thought, mesmerized by the tall buildings and city lights. Since she had met with Tommy the other day, all she has been able to think about is perfecting the rest of her songs to restore the label's confidence in the band. She was so preoccupied that when Oliver called to confirm their date, she hadn't fully realized what day it'd be on. Which is why she agreed to meet him at his favorite restaurant, Corrado Italian Bistro, today of all days. Truthfully, she still didn't even remember until she was standing in her closet deciding what to wear and her eyes caught sight of the small box shoved into the back corner under her hanging dresses and beneath dozens of shoes. She didn't dare open it, she never did. But she didn't need to open it to know what was in it.

Felicity attempts to push the thoughts and the memories from her mind, but no matter how hard she tries, she can't. She's surprised she even managed to get ready for tonight as years of repressed emotions flooded to the surface like they did on this day every single year. It only serves to make her feel self-conscious and stupid and worthless and… _broken_. But the worst part, the part that digs at her like a knife, is that when she thinks of Oliver Queen, her stomach does somersaults. Her heart rate speeds up and all she can think about is how a person like her would never deserve a man like him, no matter how much she tries to fool herself into thinking she can be loved.

Diggle stops the car in front of the restaurant, waiting patiently for Felicity to step out, knowing how much she hates when someone tries to open the door for her. His eyes fall on her reflection in the mirror, staring silently out the window. "Felicity?"

She hears Digg say her name but doesn't react, far too distracted by what her eyes are locked on. She can see Oliver already inside the restaurant, sitting alone at a semi-secluded table, looking extremely handsome in a grey suit. Watching as he flags down a waiter and asks him something, she gulps when he checks the time on his watch before glancing around the restaurant. Suddenly, it's like she's frozen, like she can't talk or move or _think_. All she knows is that that man in there deserves so much better than what she has to offer. Sucking in a sharp breath through her nose, Felicity twists her head slightly and locks eyes with Diggle in the rearview mirror. She can tell the exact moment when Diggle realizes what's happening, a familiar look of disappointment coloring his face.

"Felicity," he starts with a light shake of his head, "Don't do this."

Keeping their eyes locked for a few more seconds, she turns her head back to its previous position gazing out the window, eyes immediately finding Oliver but this time with a drink in his hand. She swallows the lump in her throat, determined not to let any tears fall. "Just drive," she manages with a choked voice, surprised that Digg even hears her.

He tries once again, "Felicity…"

"Now," she commands with a stronger tone, cold eyes meeting his once again through the mirror before he clenches his jaw.

"Where to?"

Without answering, Felicity silently stares back out the window at the man waiting for her as Diggle reluctantly pulls the car back out into traffic, the weight in her chest that usually accompanies this particular day getting a whole lot heavier.


	8. Chapter 7

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Sighing, Oliver checks his watch once again. Felicity is coming close to being forty-five minutes late with no call or text, and he is actually starting to worry. He lifts his glass to his lips, finishing off his second scotch on the rocks. Thank god that he requested a secluded table or this could be even more embarrassing than it already is. Starting to worry that something may have happened to her, Oliver reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket for his phone just in time to receive a google notification. As he sees her name flash across the screen, he suddenly remembers that he forgot to remove the alert he had set up for her name after their night together. He doesn't know why he did it, he just knew that he didn't want that night to be the last he ever saw of her. Unlocking his phone, he taps on the notification, pulling up the link and seeing a TMZ article. His eyes glaze over the headline and accompanying words, not really reading them but instead scrolling down until he finds the pictures attached.

According to the caption and the fact that he immediately recognizes the space, Felicity is at the nightclub Poison, another popular club in Starling owned by a guy that he went to high school with, Max Fuller. The pictures are time stamped, indicating that he has no reason to worry about her: she's fine. She's just… not coming. Oliver sighs as his eyes land on her, looking gorgeous in the sequined dress she is wearing, her lips painted a dark shade of purple and her hair falling in loose curls down her back. She is surrounded by people, mostly men, on the dance floor with a glass in her hand and a smile on her face. He can't help but notice the emptiness she is so clearly trying to hide, the vacancy in her eyes. Sighing, he locks his phone and drops it back into his pocket, pulling out his wallet and placing down a fifty as he stands and makes his way out of the restaurant.

The valet brings his car around and he takes the keys, offering a 'thanks' before getting into the car, driving home in a blur of city lights and people littering the busy sidewalks. Parking outside his apartment building, Oliver shuts off the engine and sits there in complete silence, leaning back in his seat and sucking in a long, slow breath as he closes his eyes. Why hadn't Felicity shown up? Why hadn't she at least called him, instead of completely blowing him off? He thought that things between them may finally be moving in the direction that he's been wanting them to. After all, he had put himself out there and she seemed excited to say yes, but now… Maybe he was wrong about her. Maybe she is the girl that everyone thinks she is.

The next morning, Oliver wakes up feeling just as confused as last night except now, the guilt of everything that happened with his family finally sets in, weighing down on him like an anchor. He can't believe that he let Robert get to him, pushing him so far that he told his mother about the affair - especially in the horrible way he told her, with just yelling it in the middle of a heated argument. Sitting up and swinging his legs to hang over the edge of his bed, Oliver pushes down the confusion and anger towards Felicity, needing to make things right with his mom before dealing with anything else.

Standing, he heads over to his closet and pulls out a pair of jeans and a Henley, throwing them on after taking a quick shower. Exiting his bedroom, Oliver slips into some shoes before stepping down the spiral staircase. He crosses around the corner through the living room and grabs an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter on his way to the door, biting and holding it in his mouth as he pulls on one of his leather jackets, grabs his wallet and keys, and makes his way out of the door.

Twenty minutes later and he's shutting down his motorcycle in the driveway of his childhood home, letting out a thankful sigh at the missing cars indicating both Robert and Thea aren't home. He makes his way inside, looking around the foyer before he hears his mother's voice. Following the noise, Oliver moves into the living room to find Moira sitting on the couch flipping through a binder on the coffee table, the house phone pressed against her ear. Her eyes flit towards him and she smiles in acknowledgment, confusing Oliver. Why is she happy to see him after what he did?

"Karen, I am going to have to call you back, my son has just arrived," Moira closes the binder in front of her, "Of course, I will. Goodbye." She hangs up her call and stands, stepping towards her son with a smile before kissing his cheek, "Hello, Oliver."

"Hi," he returns, brows furrowed. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, that was just Karen Hennings. I've been helping her plan this year's Black & White Charity Gala. But that's not important. What are you doing here?" she asks lightly, seemingly normal, as if nothing even happened yesterday.

"I," he clears his throat, "I've been feeling awful about what happened yesterday at lunch. Mom, I'm sorry. For saying what I said, for keeping secrets, for lying to you. I just, I didn't know what to do or how to -"

"- Sweetheart, I knew," Moira interrupts with a tilted head, her eyes soft as she cranes her neck to gaze up at him, her low heels not doing much to close the five-inch gap between them.

His eyebrows draw even closer together, confusion washing over him as he tries to decide if she means what he thinks she means, "What?"

"I knew," she annunciates, the look in her eyes making it clear that she is talking about the affair. "Your father… Your father has never been the most faithful of husbands."

"Wait, so you," Oliver shakes his head lightly and takes a step back, his brows shooting up as he huffs in disbelief, "So you've known about him and Isabel? For how long?"

She sends him a sympathetic look, and he wants to laugh at the irony. She should be the one who deserves sympathy, not him. Not after everything. "Longer than you."

He shuffles another step back in surprise at that information. She has known about Robert's affair with his assistant for months and is still with him? And here he's been, hating himself for knowing the truth and not telling her. Quickly, his shock turns to irritation and if he is being honest, anger. "How can you still be married to him?"

"Sweetheart," Moira shakes her head, "It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is! Mom, he is _cheating_ on you!"

"I don't need to be told that, Oliver."

He scoffs, "Obviously, you do."

Sending him a stern expression, Moira points a finger in front of her son's face, "Now you listen to me, Oliver. I have been married to that man for nearly thirty-five years. He is the father of my children. And he may not be perfect, but that means something to me."

"Yeah, it means that he's a jackass," Oliver retorts before having the decency to look sheepish at his mother's glare. "I just… I don't understand. How can you still be married to him?" he asks again helplessly.

"Because the reasons to stay married outweigh the reasons not to."

He sighs, leaning back against a small table near the wall and crossing his ankles, folding one arm across his chest and lifting to other to drag a hand over his face. "You deserve better than this, Mom. What kind of life is this?" He shakes his head, letting out a cynical laugh, "All this family is, is lies."

Her eyes soften and she takes a step towards him, "That isn't true." At the look Oliver sends her, as if to say 'yeah right', Moira offers him a small smile, "Well, not completely true. Your father and I both love you and your sister very much. That has never been a lie."

When she lessens the distance between them by taking a few more steps towards him, Oliver casts his eyes down to stare at his feet. His voice is quiet when he speaks again, "I'm sorry that _I_ lied."

"I know," she emphasizes with a voice just as quiet, nodding her head and bringing her hands up to cradle both of the younger man's cheeks, forcing him to look up and meet her eyes. "It's alright, Oliver. You didn't know what to do; you were just trying to protect me."

"I would do anything to protect you," he asserts quickly. "Both you _and_ Thea. Because I knew this wouldn't just hurt you. If Thea knew -"

"- She would be devastated. I know." Moira attempts a comforting smile, "I love you Oliver. Very much."

He returns the gesture as best he can manage, "I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Wiping off the glass in her hand, Sara finishes drying it before setting it down on the shelf next to the other shot glasses. She lets out a sigh as she places the towel on the counter and begins to rearrange the various bottles of alcohol. Damien always moves everything around when he bartends, and she needs her alcohol arranged a certain way.

"I'll be with you in a second," she calls to whoever she hears open the door, not bothering to turn around from her task.

"Can we talk?" the voice responds.

Recognizing the woman's voice immediately, Sara sets down the bottle in her hand and turns around, coming face to face with her older sister for the first time since their confrontation with Oliver. Laurel's eyes immediately fall to the white bandage wrapped around Sara's forearm, guilt flashing across her features causing the blonde to clear her throat and cross her arms over her chest so that the one with the bandage is out of view. She takes a small step closer towards the bar, "Talking? Is that all you're after?"

"I'm not," Laurel swallows as she moves forward, "I'm not here for a drink or anything."

"Then why are you here, Laurel?"

She takes another step forward and Sara can see the tears forming in her bloodshot eyes, can hear the shaky breath her older sister sucks in. "Because I'm lost. I'm," her voice cuts off with a sob, but she pushes through. "I'm so sorry, Sara."

Slowly, she uncrosses her arms and moves closer to the small swinging door separating the bar and the open space of the club, brows drawn together slightly as she stares at her sister. "Laurel -"

"- Wait," the brunette interrupts, "I need to say this." At her silence and small nod to continue, Laurel breathes in a few steadying breaths, "I've spent the last few months just… destroying everything good in my life. I started alienating everyone who tried to help me: you, Dad. And Oliver. And the reason is because I've been blaming myself for what happened. I've been blaming myself for Mom's death."

The younger Lance sister is quick to jump in, "It wasn't your fault. It was an accident."

"It doesn't matter. Our argument… I put her in that car and no matter what, I'm always going to feel that guilt. But I can't go on like this anymore. I'm just," she pauses as thick tears continue to fall down her cheeks, "I'm so tired. I am so tired, Sara." Laurel takes another step closer, "I have lost my mother, the man that I love… I don't want to lose you too. I _can't_ lose you too. Have I lost you, Sara?"

Shaking her head, Sara pushes through the small swinging door, eliminating the remaining distance between the two and wrapping her arms around her sister. Laurel returns the hug just as fiercely and Sara brings a hand to the back of her head, moving it over her brown hair in an act of comfort. The older woman buries her face in the space between her neck and shoulder, tears wetting the top of Sara's shirt. "No," Sara whispers in assurance, "You can never lose me."

* * *

Felicity paces back and forth in the hall, hands wringing together as she mumbles to herself, trying to practice what she is going to say. She woke up this morning with a headache and a heaviness weighing down her chest, guilt washing over her as she remembered the night before. She still can't believe that she'd blown off Oliver, just leaving him to sit in a restaurant all alone, waiting for her for who knows how long. But she shouldn't really be that surprised, this is what she does: she ruins things. She pushes everyone she cares about away in an attempt to protect them from the inevitable pain she'll cause them in the future. But the pain hurts just the same, whether it be some time down the road or right now. Or in this case, last night. Which is why she had ditched Diggle and taken a cab to Oliver's apartment.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity stops her movements and faces the white door in front of her before finally building up enough courage to raise her right hand, rapping her knuckles three times against the wood. A second after she knocks, her eyes widen in panic and her breathing quickens in anticipation, every word she has rehearsed flying out of her mind.

After a few seconds, she hears footsteps coming from inside the apartment and the flick of the lock before the door is pulled open revealing Oliver standing in front of her. He stares at her, slightly taken aback to find her at his door. Her breath hitches in her throat at the sight of him looking so effortlessly attractive in sweatpants and a t-shirt, silence still surrounding them. Sighing, he opens his mouth to speak, "Felicity -"

"- I'm sorry!" she blurts out with wide eyes, hands gesturing out in front of her. Keeping her hands held out, her mouth hangs open as Oliver raises his brows at her outburst. "I," she starts before swallowing, "I'm sorry. About yesterday."

He sighs again, "Look, Felicity, I -"

"- Nope," she interrupts again, holding up a hand to stop him from talking. He listens, albeit reluctantly, and crosses his arms over his chest, keeping his brows raised as he waits for her to continue. "I'm not finished. I need… I need to explain myself, okay? Please?"

Oliver studies her for a few moments, eyes meeting hers and noticing both the regret and hope reflecting in her pale pools of blue. Deciding to give her a chance to at least try and justify herself and submitting to the fact that something in him feels like he can't say no to her, he sends her an almost imperceptible nod.

She lets out a small sigh of relief at his nod before she freezes, having once again totally forgotten what she planned to say. Raising her eyes to his face, Felicity is brought back to last night, staring at him through the window of that restaurant and her features soften at the hurt she knows she must've caused him. He is a person that she never wanted to hurt but did, and now she might not be able to make things right. "Yesterday was… When I agreed to go out with you, I didn't…," she babbles. "I've had a lot going on in my life recently with the label not liking our new music, and I didn't realize what day it was when I agreed to go out with you. And yesterday was not a good day for me. It's," she pauses before sucking in a steadying breath, "It was the anniversary of the day I lost my parents."

Oliver's mouth falls open slightly and the crease between his brows softens with sympathy. There is very little known about Felicity's upbringing, but he can remember reading in magazine articles that her parents died when she was young. He uncrosses his arms and clear his clogged throat, "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago, don't apologize," she counters with a huffed laugh because there is no reason that he should be apologizing for anything in this situation. That, and the fact that there really isn't anything to apologize _for -_ but then again, he doesn't know that. "I was getting ready when I checked the time and noticed the date," Felicity continues to explain, feeling a small knot form in her stomach at the little white lie. There is no way she is telling him the truth about her life and that stupid, stupid box she keeps. Shaking the feeling away, she exhales a sigh, "Anyway, I came to the restaurant and saw you and I just… I freaked out and ran away, and I'm sorry. But I feel like for the first time in my life, I'm building something here. In Starling City. I don't want anything to jeopardize that."

When she finishes her speech, she holds in a deep breath as they continue to stand in his doorway, staring at each other. After a couple seconds, her stomach sinks at the realization that no matter what she says, she can't change anything. Exhaling slowly in defeat, she nods her head softly and spins on her heels, taking a few steps towards the elevator and screaming at herself to not let tears cloud her eyes. She pauses at the sound of his voice.

"Felicity," he calls out after arguing with himself in his mind, eyes closed and face scrunched as he blurts out her name. When she turns around, Oliver moves slightly within the doorway and offers her a small smile, "Do you want to come inside, have a drink?"

Sighing in relief, Felicity tries to suppress the smile tugging up the corners of her mouth as she turns to face him fully. "Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

Laughter bubbles past Felicity's lips and she brings a hand to her chest, her other wrapped around a bottle of beer and her legs tucked sideways under herself where she sits on the cream-colored couch in Oliver's living room. "Wait, wait, wait," she tries to catch her breath enough to continue speaking, "Did you guys get caught?"

"Nope," Oliver shakes his head with a hearty chuckle, bringing his third beer to his lips and taking a sip. "And to this day, Tommy and I _cannot_ eat spaghettio's. We've tried, and we just can't do it."

"I honestly don't know if I'll be able to look at Tommy the same way ever again," she admits with another laugh before finishing off her beer and leaning forward to set it on the coffee table, adding to her other empty bottle. As she moves to rest back against the plush cushion, her eyes travel to the clock hanging on the wall and widen at the time. _11:24 pm._ She's been here for nearly two hours, just sitting here on Oliver's couch, talking and laughing. "Wow, I didn't realize how late it'd gotten. I should go."

His eyes follow hers, drifting to the clock and his smile falls slightly. He clears his throat and adds his near empty beer bottle to the existing pile on the table before getting up, "Yeah. I'll walk you out."

Standing, Felicity follows him past the kitchen and to the front door, pausing to face him within the open frame. "Thank you, for the beers and the stories. I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

A grin starts forming involuntarily on his face, "Me neither. Plus, I love any opportunity I get to embarrass my best friend."

She chuckles before her expression falters and her eyes dart away, looking to the floor for a millisecond then moving back to meet his gaze, "And again, I'm just really sorry about everything tha -"

"- Hey," he interrupts with a shake of his head, "Stop apologizing, Felicity. It's forgotten."

She smiles softly, "Okay." He returns the gesture and silence surrounds them as they gaze into each other's eyes like they're in a freaking movie, and Felicity sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth, immediately breaking the intense contact. "And about, us, I guess… I think that with me focusing a lot on my music right now, and with performing at your club… I think that it would be best if we keep things professional. Y'know, just friends."

Her words sting but Oliver tries not to let it show, figuring that she is probably right. It would just save them both a lot of pain in the long run. Nodding in agreement, he forces the next words out of his mouth and is thankful that his voice sounds normal, "You're probably right. So," he holds out a hand in the space between them, "Friends?"

"Friends," Felicity agrees, placing her hand in his and trying desperately to cover up the shiver that runs through her body at the contact by faking a yawn. She forces a laugh and pulls her hand from his grasp, "I guess I'll see you at Verdant for the sound check on Tuesday."

Oliver grins, "Yeah, I'll see you then." He watches as she backs away from him, offering a little wave goodbye of her fingers before her back collides with the corner wall and she bounces off it. Oliver can't help but let his smile consume him when she laughs it off and turns around before disappearing towards the elevator.

* * *

It's been a few days since Felicity came to his apartment to explain herself and they'd ended up hanging out, and Oliver can't stop thinking about her. He was so hurt and confused, but when she explained herself, explained the pain she felt and the memories that clouded that day, he couldn't help but understand where she was coming from. Getting scared and running away in some way, shape, or form was kind of his signature move for the majority of his lifetime. Just spending time with her, talking and laughing, was the most fun he'd had in a very long time. But then she said that she wants them to be friends, and the only reason he agreed was because at this point, being just friends with Felicity Smoak is a million times better than not having her in his life at all.

Scrolling through a few unread emails on his phone, Oliver walks up the sidewalk towards Verdant, lifting his head and smiling at the sound of a voice calling his name. "Hey," he greets as his eyes take in her appearance, trying not to make it too obvious that he is totally checking her out.

"Hi," Felicity returns his grin. "Question: are you always late to things?"

He scoffs, "Did Tommy tell you that?"

"Yes," she answers immediately with a chuckle, "Tommy, and Thea, and Sara. Also, the fact that you are currently late, right now, as we speak."

Shaking his head, he can't help but laugh as they move side by side towards the building, "Exactly how long have you been here waiting for me?"

"Not too long," she responds casually, but he can tell it's forced.

"Felicity," he tries to stop his smile from growing, "You could've just waited inside."

Her head snaps to the side to look at him, "What? I thought it was locked!"

Now he lets out a full-on laugh as he wraps his hand around the door handle, pulling it open for her to walk through first before following, "Sara is here somewhere, probably in the supply room downstairs. Her car is literally parked right in front of the club."

"Shut up," she nudges him with her shoulder as they move further through the open space, both laughing. Felicity turns her head towards the bar and immediately freezes when her eyes land on the person sitting on one of the stools, smile falling from her face.

Noticing her behavior, Oliver stops and follows her look before furrowing his brows, "The bar isn't open yet."

The unexpected person turns around and hops off the stool at his announcement, straightening their stance as they meet the blonde's eyes. "Hi, Felicity."


	9. Chapter 8

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Shaking his head, Oliver can't help but laugh as they move side by side towards the building, "Exactly how long have you been here waiting for me?"

"Not too long," she responds casually, but he can tell it's forced.

"Felicity," he tries to stop his smile from growing, "You could've just waited inside."

Her head snaps to the side to look at him, "What? I thought it was locked!"

Now he lets out a full-on laugh as he wraps his hand around the door handle, pulling it open for her to walk through first before following, "Sara is here somewhere, probably in the supply room downstairs. Her car is literally parked right in front of the club."

"Shut up," she nudges him with her shoulder as they move further through the open space, both laughing. Felicity turns her head towards the bar and immediately freezes when her eyes land on the person sitting on one of the stools, smile falling from her face.

Noticing her behavior, Oliver stops and follows her look before furrowing his brows, "The bar isn't open yet."

The unexpected person turns around and hops off the stool at his announcement, straightening their stance as they meet the blonde's eyes. "Hi, Felicity."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Felicity barks out, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. "How did you even know where I'd be?"

The older woman tilts her head with a simple shrug, "I wanted to see you. We need to talk. And all I had to do was google your name to find out you'd moved to Starling City, and then look in any magazine to see where you've been spending most of your time."

Felicity ignores Oliver's questioning eyes on her as she crosses her arms over her chest and scoffs, "So, what? You're stalking me now?"

The woman sends her a tight smile, "A mother shouldn't have to stalk her own daughter just for a simple conversation."

His eyes widen slightly at the woman's words. _Mother._ His head whips towards Felicity with his eyebrows raised in question, noticing how her skin has paled noticeably. _Daughter._ "I," he starts, pausing to clear his throat, "I'm sorry, but did she say she is your _mother?"_

"Hi, I'm Donna Sloan." Donna takes a few steps closer to the pair and extends a hand, an almost predatory smirk tugging up the corners of her mouth, "And _you_ are Oliver Queen. It's a pleasure."

Felicity quickly steps in between them, viciously knocking her mother's hand out the way. "Don't talk to him."

"Oh, sweetie," she juts out her bottom lip, "You really need to work on your manners. Didn't I teach you better than that?"

Rolling her eyes, Felicity crosses her arms again in a desperate attempt to appear strong when in reality, she is barely keeping herself together as her two worlds collide - the one she's always wanted and the one she's been trying to forget. "Why are you here?"

"Can't a woman just want to see her baby girl?"

"Yes," she answers easily, her blue eyes cold as ice. "But _you_ can't. So just tell me what you want and then go back to whatever bar you crawled out of."

Still taken aback, Oliver is speechless as he observes the interaction between Felicity and her apparent mother who she told him was dead. _Why does she seemingly hate Donna so much? And more importantly, why would she lie to him? Is her dad really dead, too?_ He has no choice but to stand behind the woman occupying most of his thoughts and watch the scene play out in front of him.

"Fine," Donna straightens her stance, running a hand over the fabric of the tight dress covering her stomach like a second skin. "I'm going to lose the house."

Immediately, Felicity's brows draw together in confusion, "What? How? I send you enough money every month to cover the expenses." Donna fidgets slightly, smoothing out her hair over her shoulders and Felicity recognizes the nervous tick, a cynical smile morphing onto her face as she puts the pieces together. "You blew it all trying to land husband number six, didn't you? Then what, he took the rest when he skipped out on you?" By the look on the older woman's face, she knows she is correct. She shakes her head with a disbelieving laugh before opening her handbag and rifling through it as she moves towards the bar. Using the flat surface, Felicity starts writing something down and only when she turns around does Oliver realize what she is holding is her checkbook. Walking back towards Donna, she rips the small piece of paper from the booklet before holding it out in front of her, "A hundred grand should cover it, right?"

Donna grabs the check with lightning reflexes, almost as if she thinks Felicity will change her mind and take it back.

"You got what you came for. Now just leave me alone like you've been doing for the last, I don't know, twenty years?" she practically begs. From this new angle, Oliver can see her face, see the tears springing to her eyes that she is desperately trying to hold back and the way her teeth bite down on her bottom lip to stop it from trembling.

Turning on her stiletto heels, Donna begins making her way out of the club when she pauses and turns around. She narrows her makeup-caked eyes, shaking her head lightly as a crease appears between her brows. "Y'know, what did I ever do to you to make you such an ungrateful little brat? I worked hard to give you clothes, a house, a warm meal every night. I did my best for you, and what do I get for that? Treated like last week's street trash."

"What did you ever _do to me?"_ Felicity questions, tilting her head and lifting a sarcastic brow. "That's the thing, _Mom._ You never did anything _for_ me. Or don't you remember? Because what I remember is eating stale nachos and pretzels in the booth of some bar or casino every night. I remember having to steal a winter jacket from the lost and found so that I could go out for recess with the other kids. I remember hiding under my covers and pretending to be asleep, _praying_ that whatever creep you brought home didn't come into my room. So if that was your best, you can take it back because I don't want it anymore." At this point, Felicity stops trying to keep the tears at bay, and all Oliver wants to do is wipe at her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs and wrap his arms around her, his heart breaking at the obvious pain lacing her voice.

Completely missing the point, Donna scoffs and rolls her eyes, "You always were such a drama queen. Maybe you should take up acting for your next little venture for attention." She lifts a hand, pointing towards Felicity to make her point, "At least I was there! That's more than you can say about your father. At least I stayed!"

Felicity huffs and takes a step forward, narrowing her eyes in anger and hurt, "Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night? Yeah, Dad walked out on us. But at least he had the decency to do it when I was too young to even remember him. Because the only memories I have of you are disappointments." Silence surrounds them as the two women stare at each other, Oliver's eyes bouncing between them, unsure of what to say. Finally, Felicity breaks the contact and gazes at the floor, bringing up both hands to wipe at her cheeks before looking back up with a steely glare. "You got the money, and you'll continue getting your checks the first of every month. Now just do both of us a favor and go back to Vegas."

Deciding not to object, Donna nods and spins on her heels, making her way towards the door but this time actually leaving the club. The door shuts behind her with a loud, metallic click and the pair is once again surrounded by silence, his eyes flicking back to observe Felicity. Her arms are wrapped around her waist in a defensive manner as she stares blankly ahead at where her mother just disappeared, a few tears still trailing down her cheeks. Taking a cautious step forward, Oliver breaks the silence, "Felicity?"

Her eyes fly to his and flood with a fresh wave of tears as she clears her throat, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Her gaze drifts back towards the door and he immediately recognizes the vacant look in her eyes, the same look she had in the photos he saw the night of their failed date. Noticing that her hands are shaking where they hang in the air close to her stomach, Oliver takes a step forward, wrapping her hands in both of his and leading her to sit down on the stairs that lead up to his office. Allowing him to move her, she settles on the step next to him, staring at their joined hands resting on their touching knees. "I guess I should probably explain myself." She huffs a laugh, but it just sounds empty, "I've been saying that a lot lately."

Her name is all he says, his voice barely above a whisper yet loud in the empty space around them.

"I guess first things first, my name wasn't always Felicity Smoak. Technically, it was Felicity _Sloan._ I changed it when I moved to California." They fall back into silence for a few moments. "I didn't lie to you," she assures, staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "The other night, it _was_ the anniversary of the day I lost my parents. Just not in the way that people think." Briefly allowing her eyes to drift towards the floor, Felicity takes a steadying breath and meets his waiting eyes again, "It was the day that my father abandoned us and my mother decided to stop being a mother. I was five."

Staring at her with soft eyes, Oliver doesn't even know what to say as he can't stop picturing a young, crying Felicity watching the man she looked up to walk out of her life forever. He can't even imagine how someone could get to know her and love her for five years, and then willingly just leave. One thing he knows for sure is that there is no way in hell he could ever walk away from her, and he's only known her for mere _weeks._

"I don't," she continues, "I don't remember much about him, but I do remember how much it hurt when he left. And for the longest time, I'd never really dealt with it because I had to grow up so fast. I had to learn to take care of myself. But now… Now I know the truth."

His brows draw together, both thumbs rubbing small circles over the backs of her hands, "What do you mean?"

She shakes her head and tears begin to fall from her stormy eyes, "He left because we weren't good enough."

"Hey," he interrupts as fast as he can, lifting a palm to her cheek and cupping it gently, swiping away a tear as she leans into his touch, "You don't know that."

"Yes I do," she says with closed eyes. she sucks in a deep breath and gazes right at him, "Last year I hired a private investigator. Oliver, I found him. He… He has a new family. He didn't want me." At the confession, Felicity chokes out a sob, her shoulders shaking as the tears begin to fall more rapidly. His heart breaking in his chest, Oliver releases her hand and wraps his arms around her, his left around her shoulders and his right around her waist, pulling her into his embrace and allowing her to cry into the space where his neck and shoulder meet. She brushes her nose against his skin, her left hand moving up his chest to wrap around the base of his neck, and the other resting in the middle of his back as she continues to sob against him.

The arm around her shoulders moves a little so that he can brush his hand over her soft hair, carding his fingers through the lavender strands as he quietly whispers words of comfort. Over her shoulder, his eyes land on Sara walking through the door to the basement and towards the bar, her eyes cast down as she types on her phone. When she looks up, her step falters as her eyes fall on the pair before locking with Oliver, furrowing her brows in both confusion and a silent question. He shakes his head _'no'_ just enough for her to see and she slowly backs up. Realizing that something she clearly doesn't understand is going on, Sara turns, retreating through the door and down to the supply room.

After about ten minutes, Felicity finally starts to calm down, her body relaxing and her sobs ceasing, aside from the occasional sniffle. Oliver's fingers continue to slowly comb through her smooth waves, twisting the ends in tiny circles. Finally moving, she lifts her head from where it rests against his shoulder but doesn't go far, the side of her face touching his. She sucks in a sharp breath when their noses brush, and her fingers tighten their grip on the short hair at the base of his neck, their breaths mingling together in the mere centimeters between them. Forgetting why she even wanted it in the first place, Felicity wants to completely discard their agreement to be just friends. Because right now, with her eyes closed and her body nestled in his arms, she forgets all the self-hate and the pain and the fear. For the first time in almost her entire life, Felicity feels _safe._

The hand that is settling on her hip travels up to cup her cheek, and though her eyes are still closed, she knows that Oliver's lips are getting closer to hers as his thumb brushes across her cheekbone. And then the next second, she hears the loud metal door to the club open followed by the voices and laughter of her bandmates. The pair quickly separates, Felicity bringing her hands to her cheeks to wipe away any residual tears while Oliver clears away the lump in his throat.

Nyssa and Roy both slow down their pace, their voices tapering off as their eyes land on the two sitting at the bottom of the staircase. Roy glances between them with raised brows while a smirk tugs up the corners of Nyssa's lips before she speaks, "Sorry, are we interrupting something?"

"What?" Felicity shakes her head and forces a laugh, "No." She stands and steps closer to her friends, peering over her shoulder, "I don't think you guys have met. Oliver, this is Nyssa Raatko and Roy Harper, my bandmates. Guys, this is Oliver Queen. He owns the club and is Thea's older brother."

Shaking his head imperceptibly, Oliver clears his mind of the last few minutes and rises to his feet with his signature grin plastered on his face, "It's great to meet you guys. Everything is already set up on the stage so, do your thing." Sending Felicity a small nod, he turns on his heels and takes the steps up to his office two at a time, feeling her gaze on his back as he goes.

* * *

Felicity's voice tapers off, her hand wrapped around the microphone, and Thea lifts her bottle of root beer to her lips. Damn Sara for not giving her alcohol. She watches as Felicity nods and smiles at Nyssa and Roy, telling them to take a break from their rehearsal and moving to talk to the brunette. Setting his guitar down on its stand, Roy makes his way over to the bar and settles in the seat beside Thea.

"Can I have a beer?" he asks, nodding towards Sara.

Thea twists in her seat, resting her elbows against the bar top and tilting her head towards the musician. "You guys sounded great. Thanks again for playing at my party."

Sara slides a root beer towards him knowing he is only twenty and he rolls his eyes, taking a sip before setting it back down on the coaster. "No problem," he smirks at her, "I mean, it's my pleasure to perform for the infamous Thea Queen."

"Infamous? Says the celebrity," she counters with a playful smile of her own and a raised brow.

He lets out a laugh, "Nah. Felicity's the celebrity. I'm just there as eye candy for the ladies."

"Hmm, you're probably right," she sighs and lifts the bottle to her lips, "You kinda suck at playing guitar."

Roy narrows his eyes at her but can't hide his smile, "You're kinda mean."

Shrugging a shoulder, she flutters her lashes at him and her smile softens, "I've been called worse."

"I can't imagine that," he responds easily, without even thinking. He barely knows the girl but for some reason, he can tell that she has a good heart, even if sometimes it doesn't seem like it.

Thea's eyes linger on his face, studying his features for a sign that he's making fun of her in some way, but he seems completely genuine. She shakes her head, "You're pretty smooth, y'know that?"

An easy smile falls on his lips as he repeats her earlier words, "I've been called worse." Their eyes remain locked, shining from the smiles on their faces until another voice pulls them from their moment.

"Roy!" Felicity calls and when both heads swivel towards her, she nods him over and sets down her water bottle.

Sighing, he rises from his stool and begins to retreat backwards towards the small stage, "Duty calls." Roy flashes one last smile before turning around and jogging up the few steps before picking up his guitar, tuning the strings a little and strumming the pic across them a couple times. The silly grin never falls from Thea's face as she watches the band finish the rest of their set list.


	10. Chapter 9

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Tommy stands in line at Jitters with his phone pressed to his ear, waiting for his order to be ready as he continues his conversation with Felicity. "Are you guys ready for the party tomorrow night?" he asks, casually looking around the coffee shop. He recognizes some people as regular customers, which technically he could consider himself with how much he frequents the small café. It is just around the corner from the studio _City in Smoke_ and some of his other clients have been using to record and is just a few blocks from Merlyn Music Management. And while getting coffee can be listed in Curtis' job description as his executive assistant, Tommy likes to get outside when he's frustrated or just starts feeling a little stir crazy. Like today for instance, having spent the first few hours of his day stuck in meetings.

Shuffling can be heard on the other end before Felicity speaks, _"Yeah. Thea is picking out what she wants me to wear right now. It's thrilling."_

He lets out a chuckle, knowing how the younger Queen can be. "Just do what she says and I promise you'll make it out alive."

 _"Well, thank you for the advice,"_ she chuckles and he can hear Thea's voice mumbling in the background. _"Hey, I gotta go. Are you gonna be at the final sound check before the party tomorrow?"_

"Yeah, Ollie has something else he has to do so he gave me the keys to Verdant. I'll see you then." Tommy hangs up after she returns his goodbye, switching to check his emails when someone lightly nudges against his arm as they move past him. Lifting his chin, his eyebrows immediately draw closer together, "Laurel?"

The brunette's head snaps towards him, her eyes slightly widened in surprise, "Tommy. Hi."

"Hi," he shakes himself out of his reverie, eyes taking her in. "Wow, I haven't really seen you since," Tommy's gentle smile falls and he immediately regrets starting that sentence.

Realizing what he's getting at, Laurel raises a brow and finishes for him, "Since Oliver broke up with me?" He presses his lips together in a thin line, and she decides not to let him feel bad for too long, breaking the awkward tension with a light laugh, "Yeah, I know. But it's good to see you."

"Yeah," he breathes out with a laugh of his own, falling into the familiar easiness they had acquired as kids. Because their families are long time business partners and friends, Oliver and Tommy have been best friends since they were babies. During their childhood, they were essentially inseparable. Tommy spent many nights as a kid staying at Queen Manor to avoid his own home situation, especially after his mother passed and his father became distant and emotionally abusive. When the Lance family moved to Starling City in middle school, Laurel had quickly become friends with the pair of boys. The three spent almost every weekend hanging out and come high school, Tommy realized that the crush he had on Laurel wasn't just a crush, but actual feelings. When he'd finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date, he came to school to find that Oliver already had. And they'd been dating ever since, albeit on and off, and Tommy could never do that to his best friend. But his feelings had never really gone away, at least not completely.

Remembering where they are, his brows crinkle in confusion, "What are you doing here? Isn't your apartment like, on the other side of Starling?"

Laurel visibly stiffens, and he can tell that she is contemplating her words carefully. He is about to speak up and tell her that she doesn't have to answer when she opens her mouth to respond, "It is, yes. I was actually… I just came from an AA meeting. It meets just down the block and their coffee is awful."

He is taken aback by her honesty before softening his features, sending a small smile to his old friend, "That's really great, Laurel. I'm proud of you." A genuine smile lights up her entire face at his words and she feels an odd weight lift off her chest at the lack of judgement. She is about to speak when the barista calls out Tommy's name from behind the counter. Turning around, Tommy offers the young girl his signature grin as he grabs his coffee before facing Laurel again. "It was great running into you, Laurel. If you… If you ever want to talk, about anything, you can call anytime."

Her smile softens, remembering that his mother's death was due to her alcoholism, and she sends a slight nod, "Thank you."

Sending her one last grin, Tommy moves around her and heads out of the coffee shop, the smile never falling from his face as he makes his way back towards his office for the inevitably mind numbing meetings planned for his afternoon.

* * *

The flash of some girl's phone camera momentarily blinds Felicity as she poses for a selfie with a fan before stretching her fingers lightly and going back to signing pictures of herself and the band from various photo shoots. The strobe lights illuminate everything in flashes in the otherwise blue-tinted darkness of the club, the music from the house DJ pumping through the speakers. It seems as though hundreds of people have come to Thea's party, most of them being high schoolers with the occasional person probably in their twenties. Tommy stands on the other side of the bar, chatting with some long-legged brunette with his classic, ever-so-charming grin plastered on his face. After signing a few more autographs, Felicity smiles and excuses herself, leaving the mass of fans with Nyssa and Roy. She spots Thea across the club talking to some friends and makes her way over, gently touching the younger girl's arm to get her attention. "Hey, Thea."

"Hey!" Thea says, a wide grin pulling up the corners of her mouth as she pulls her into a quick hug, the strobe lights bouncing off her sequined dress with every one of her movements. "Thank you guys so much for being here."

"Of course," Felicity smiles. "When do you want us to go on?"

"In a few minutes would be great, actually."

Felicity nods and heads back towards the bar to tell her bandmates to start setting up their instruments when she collides with a large, rock hard chest, warm hands flying up to grasp the tops of her bare arms and steady her. Raising her eyes, she releases a breath and can't stop the effortless smile from gracing her face, "Hi."

Oliver returns her smile as he gazes down at her, her heels still not making her tall enough to erase the gap between them. "Hey," he greets and doesn't even try to prevent his eyes from scanning her from head to toe, "You look incredible." And honestly, that is the understatement of the century, what with the gold velvet dress hugging her curves in all the right places and the half-up hairstyle framing her delicate face perfectly. At the teasing spark in her eyes, he clears his throat and adopts a stern expression, "Y'know, in a strictly platonic, professional way."

"Mmm," she gives a small nod, pressing her crimson painted lips together in an attempt to suppress a smile, "Strictly professional, of course."

"Of course," he agrees.

She gazes up at him under long, dark lashes, lifting a hand to tuck a fallen strand of lavender hair back behind her ear and admiring the way his suit jacket stretches across his broad shoulders. "Well, in a strictly platonic, professional way… You look pretty incredible yourself."

A smirk tugs up the corners of his mouth, "Thank you."

Her eyes lock on his and she can't help but melt at the warmth and affection clear in the pools of blue. His thumbs stroke across her smooth skin where his hands are still settled on her arms, and that is when she realizes how close they are actually standing to one another, causing her to inhale deeply through her nose. The sharp intake of breath makes her chest move to brush up against his and she holds her mouth open for a few seconds, searching for words. Noticing that he has probably come to the same realization of their proximity from his expression, Felicity forces a laugh and takes a small step backwards making his hands drop from her arms. She lifts an arm at the elbow, pointing a perfectly manicured finger over his shoulder, "I should get ready to perform."

"Good luck," he bids with a grin as she moves around him and towards Nyssa and Roy. The smile doesn't fall from his face as his eyes follow her to the stage until he turns back around. He barely makes it a few steps before feeling a glare on him and he raises his chin slightly, eyes landing on the source of the heated look. "Mister Diggle," he greets with a small nod.

He narrows his eyes at the younger man, keeping his arms folded across his chest, "Mister Queen." When Oliver doesn't back down after a few seconds locked in a staring match, Diggle takes a threatening step towards him so that he can be better heard over the music. "Even though she tries to hide it, Felicity is a good person. You hurt her, they'll never find your body."

Still refusing to back down, Oliver makes sure that his eyes convey how serious he is, his voice stern, "I would never hurt her."

After holding his gaze for a few moments longer, Diggle finally nods, "Good." With that, he maneuvers his way around Oliver and through the crowd until he is settled in a protective stance beside the stairs to the stage.

* * *

Nyssa watches as Felicity offers a smile to some of the fans before walking away from the small crowd that has gathered around them. She signs a few more pictures before also excusing herself, in desperate need of something to drink. Moving the few steps to the bar, she leans an elbow against the countertop and grins at the bartender making her way over.

"What can I get for you?" the blonde asks.

"Whiskey," Nyssa responds with a warm smile, unable to ignore how beautiful the other woman is.

"I'm Sara," she introduces herself as she pours a glass of whiskey and slides it along the bar, "You're Nyssa, right? You're in Felicity's band."

She nods, lifting the glass to her lips to take a sip and grinning around the rim, "Ah. So _you're_ the Sara I've heard so much about. Felicity speaks very highly of you." The younger woman chuckles, and she swears a light blush flushes across her cheeks.

Pouring a few other drinks, Sara slides them to other customers before looking back towards the brunette with a tilted head. "Yeah, we've become pretty fast friends. I'm a big fan of your songs. Especially the ones with drum solos," she flirts easily with a twinkle in her eyes at the familiar feeling stirring in her stomach that comes whenever she meets someone that intrigues her.

Catching on to her flirtation, Nyssa's grin widens, "Well I'm a big fan of your drinks." She takes the opportunity to down the rest of her whiskey, setting it back down on the bar with a flick of her wrist. Sara returns her smile and their eyes lock for a few seconds, the spell only broken by a soft touch on her arm and a familiar voice saying her name.

"Hey, we have to get ready," Felicity informs her with a nod of her head towards the stage, Roy already walking towards it. Noticing the tension in the air, her eyes flit between her two friends and a slow smirk tugs up the corners of her mouth, "What's going on here?"

"Just talking," Sara responds with a shrug of the shoulder before lightly slapping her hands down on the bar. "I have to get back to work. I'll find you later," she promises before walking off, not entirely sure who she was talking to.

Nyssa's eyes linger on the blonde's retreating form before she turns and raises a brow at the look Felicity is sending her, "What?"

"Nothing," she says with a shrug of her own before heading off to the stage. Sighing, Nyssa begins following her, peering back over her shoulder to find Sara already gazing at her. They exchange easy smiles before both going back to their tasks at hand, and Nyssa desperately tries to suppress the grin on her lips as she readies her drum set.

* * *

 _I'm a wanderess_

 _I'm a one night stand_

 _Don't belong to no city_

 _Don't belong to no man_

 _I'm the violence in the pouring rain_

 _Come and fade me_

 _Come and fade me_

 _I'm a hurricane_

Cheering and applause erupts as they finish off the last few notes of the song and Felicity smiles, eyes scanning over the crowd in front of her. "Thank you guys so much!" The noise dies down into faint mutterings, and she takes a deep breath to control her bubbling nerves. "Now, we're gonna change things up a bit and play some of our new stuff. Is that cool with you guys?" She lets out a chuckle at the screams from the audience, hearing Nyssa and Roy laugh from behind her. Adhering to the ritual she had somehow adopted over the years, Felicity wraps both hands around the mic and closes her eyes, sucking in another long breath through her nose before letting it out. She turns her head to the left in a barely noticeable signal to Roy and he begins strumming his fingers along the strings of his guitar. Silently counting along to the beat in her head, Felicity breathes in again and opens her eyes.

 _You were dancing in your tube socks in our hotel room,_

 _Flashin' those eyes like highway signs._

 _Light one up and hand it over, rest your head upon my shoulder._

 _Just wanna feel your lips against my skin._

 _White sheets, bright lights, crooked teeth, and the night life,_

 _You told me this is right where it begins._

 _But your lips hang heavy underneath me._

 _And I promised myself I wouldn't let you complete me._

She scans the club and everything is in a haze, the lights creating halos around the numerous fans. But as her eyes sweep across the room, they somehow focus in on one thing amidst the crowd: Oliver. His intense gaze is already locked on her, entranced by the sound of her voice and the words she wrote. A tingling feeling bubbles up in the pit of her stomach, something that she has experienced more times in the last few months than she has in her entire life. Oliver Queen affects her in a way she doesn't understand, and it scares her so damn much because the last time she even considered letting someone in, it blew up in her face. All anyone has ever done is leave.

 _I'm tryin' not to let it show, that I don't wanna let this go._

 _Is there somewhere you can meet me?_

 _'Cause I clutched your arms like stairway railings._

 _And you clutched my brain and eased my ailing._

 _You're writing lines about me; romantic poetry._

 _Your girl's got red in her cheeks, 'cause we're somethin' she can't see._

 _And I try to refrain, but you're stuck in my brain._

 _And all I do is cry and complain because second's not the same._

In her head, she knows that things would end the way they always ended, but somewhere deep inside her heart, she aches with a hope that this time things could be different. _Oliver_ could be different; he already _is_ different, different than anyone she's ever known.

 _I'm sorry, but I fell in love tonight._

 _I didn't mean to fall in love tonight._

 _You're looking like you fell in love tonight._

 _Could we pretend that we're in love?_

 _I'm sorry, but I fell in love tonight._

 _I didn't mean to fall in love tonight._

 _You're looking like you fell in love tonight._

 _Could you pretend that we're in love?_

The music slowly tapers off and Felicity holds in a breath before the audience slowly erupts into a clap, not as boisterous as earlier, but enough to satisfy her nerves and allow her to continue with two more songs. Throughout the performances, she finds herself forcing her eyes to scan the crowd instead of remaining on Oliver, unable to deny how drawn to him she is. Every single time they land back on his strong features, his face is still stoic, his eyes having never left her for a single moment. It's in these moments where she questions every choice she has made, everything that has happened since the night they met. Why did Oliver happen to choose to drown his sorrows at the bar in the hotel she was staying in? Why did she invite him up to her room? Why did he go? Why did she let herself be so vulnerable as to spend the night, sleeping in his strong embrace? And why the hell did she come to Starling City?

Suddenly, a few of Verdant's workers walk out from the back holding a giant three-tiered birthday cake with sparklers and the number eighteen in candles. They lead the guests into singing 'Happy Birthday' to Thea, the younger girl grinning widely at the love and attention she is receiving. Her smile doesn't disappear even as she blows out her candles and friends swarms her in hugs, employees cutting pieces of cake and setting them onto the bar from everyone to enjoy.

A small chuckle escapes past Felicity's lips as she tilts her head back forward, her eyes once again landing on Oliver only to find him no longer watching her, but talking casually with a beautiful woman. Her smile falls and a pain stabs through her chest, questions that she doesn't know the answers to once again racing through her mind. Why did Oliver want her? Why did he _care?_ What was stopping him from abandoning her like everyone else she'd ever loved? She is nothing; she is _no one._ And he deserves so much better than someone like her. But at this exact second, she doesn't care. She doesn't care about the pain or the hurt, because all she can think is one thing: why is she still lying to herself?

One hand still wrapped around the microphone as the DJ's music plays in the background, Felicity, for once in the past twenty years, ignores everything in her head and lets her heart guide her actions. "Oliver!" she calls out as she moves to step down the stairs, the mic just barely catching her voice as she moves away causing his head to snap in her direction. Marching towards him, she pushes her way through the half-oblivious crowd with determination before losing her nerve.

Oliver furrows his brows in confusion as she nears him, "Felicity, wha -"

His words are interrupted when her lips crash against his in a heated kiss, her arms immediately raising to thread her fingers through his hair. It takes him a moment to realize what is happening and once he does, his eyes slam closed and his arms band around her waist, pulling her body tightly against his. Her tongue brushes across the seam of his lips and he opens his mouth to her, battling for dominance. When the need for air becomes too intense, Felicity pulls her head back slightly, completely uncaring of the numerous cell phone cameras around them, as Oliver gently places her back from where she is suspended a few inches from the ground. A small smile tugs up the corners of her mouth as she gazes up at him under long lashes, "I don't want to be professional anymore."

His mouth forms into a wide grin before he dips his head and connects their lips in another kiss.


	11. Chapter 10

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

In desperate need of air, Felicity disconnects her mouth from Oliver's and smiles up at him. "Take me home." Not needing to be told twice, Oliver moves his hand to grab hers, entangling their fingers together before leading her through the crowd and towards the door, ignoring the phone cameras and numerous onlookers. He pushes his way through the door, the cool night air hitting their skin, and he feels Felicity shiver behind him. Leading her towards where his motorcycle is parked, he turns and offers her his extra helmet with a grin. She shakes her head with a light laugh and grabs it from him, placing it on top of her head. Waiting for him, she takes the time to send a quick text to Diggle telling him where she is going and not to worry. Once he gets settled, she swings her leg to straddle the bike, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling her body flush against his as he starts up the engine and takes off.

A short ride later and he's pulling up to the familiar apartment building, parking the bike in his assigned spot and quickly leading them inside. She wraps her hand around his arm and rests her head on his shoulder as they ride in silence up to the fifteenth floor, threading their fingers together while walking to his door. She is unable to wipe the smile off her face as Oliver unlocks the door and ushers her inside, locking it back up behind him. Due to the layout of his place, they immediately find themselves in his kitchen, and she unclips her cell phone from her shoe and sets it on the countertop. Oliver turns to face her, "Do you want something to drink?"

Shaking her head, a small smile tugs up the corners of her mouth, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he responds easily.

"Are you sure about wanting this?" Felicity asks, almost shyly with how low her voice is. "Because trust me, I'm no walk in the park. I mean, with the whole 'fame' thing… And I'm only twenty-two, I've never really been in a real relationship before," her eyes widen at her own words, "Not that this is a relationship! Or that it isn't. I mean, I don't know what it is. I know that I like you. A lot, actually. Which doesn't really happen that often for me, like I said - I'm barely twenty-two." She chuckles before her eyes bulge out of her face again, her hands gesturing out in front of her, "Not that I think you're old! Honestly, I don't even know how old you are, but I think you're thirty. Which _isn't_ old! I mean, I like older guys. Not that I've ever really dated an older guy, but I'm pretty sure I've slept with a couple. Oh god, I am completely ruining this. I am so sor -"

"- Felicity," Oliver interrupts with a laugh, an easy smile on his face as he takes a step closer and places his palms on her bare shoulders. She takes in a deep breath at his warm touch. "Relax." His hand lifts to her face, palm brushing against her cheek, "I like you, too. _A lot._ Felicity, I know what I want, and it's you. In whatever way you want, whatever way you're ready for."

"Yeah?" she whispers with a wistful look as she leans into his touch.

"Mmhmm," he promises with a nod. "And by the way, I'm twenty-nine and three-quarters." She can't help but chuckle at his childlike description of his age.

Her laugh is cut off when his lips find hers in a passionate kiss, his tongue quickly poking out of his mouth to run along the seam of her lips. She immediately opens her mouth to him, tongue battling with his for dominance. Her hands wind around his neck to pull him closer, her fingers carding through the short strands of his hair. Feeling his touch roaming her body, Felicity moans against his lips. Moving his hands down her sides over the velvety fabric of her dress, he settles them at her hips and tightens his grip, fingers digging slightly into her skin as he pushes her backwards until her back hits the nearest wall. Removing his lips from hers, Oliver leaves a trail of kisses along her jaw and down further as she cranes her neck to give him better access, her hands guiding his head. He continues his path down her body, placing a few kisses to the valley of her breasts before dropping to his knees in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Felicity breathes out under hooded eyes as she glances down at him, fingers absentmindedly traveling through his short hair.

His palms venture over the smooth skin of her legs and he smirks up at her, wandering back up and underneath her dress, fingers gripping just beneath her ass. Her eyes close, and she breathes in sharply through her teeth when she feels his lips moving along the inside of her thigh, his hands massaging the backs of her legs gently. A gasp escapes past her lips when a roughened finger curls around the scrap of lace that barely even counts as panties and tugs them to the side, exposing her soaking wet folds to his hot breath. Right hand still squeezing the flesh of her butt rhythmically, his nose brushes lightly against her clit as he runs his tongue slowly along her slit, breathing in her sweet scent.

"Oliver," Felicity moans out breathlessly, ignoring the slight pain when her head falls back against the wall with a dull thud.

With a small groan at her praise, he licks another long, hard trail across her aching folds and briefly lets go of her underwear to run his hand down her leg toward her still heel-clad foot. Reaching her ankle, he easily wraps his fingers around it and lifts her leg until the back of her knee rests over his shoulder for better support. Pleased with himself at the moan that comes from her mouth, he smiles against her before circling his tongue around her clit and dragging his hand back up her leg to slip a finger inside her.

The way her fingers tighten where they're threaded in his hair and how she rocks her hips against his face make his erection strain against his dress pants, but he doesn't stop wanting to please her first, licking her faster as his finger continues to pump in and out. Adding a second finger, Oliver curls them inside her, flicking his tongue against her hardened nub, and her hips begin to grind more erratically against his face as the tension that's been building low in her belly finally explodes and she clenches around him. He continues to lick and pump through her orgasm until her grip on his hair loosens and her breathing slows down, lowering her leg back to the floor and rising to his feet.

Felicity immediately wraps a hand around the back of his neck and yanks his mouth to hers in a heated kiss, tasting herself on his lips and moaning against him. His hands gravitate back to her hips, gripping them tightly and lifting her off the floor. After she wraps her legs around his waist, Oliver expertly makes his way through the living room and towards the spiral staircase up to his bedroom without separating their lips. She circles her hips against him, feeling his bulge pressing against her through his pants and groaning into his mouth. Finally, they make it to his room, and he moves until his knees hit the bed so that he can lay her back on top of the mattress. A whine escapes past her lips when he pulls away and stands at the end of the bed, smirking down at her as his hands gravitate towards her ankles to slowly rid her of her stilettos. They drop to the floor with a thud and Felicity tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, watching as he removes his jacket and tosses it across the room. He toes himself out of his socks and shoes, his fingers deftly working to unbutton his dress shirt and she groans at his lack of speed.

Sitting up, she moves to the edge of the bed and stands to connect their lips again, ripping open his shirt. The remaining buttons clatter to the floor, drawing a chuckle from his lips, and she pushes the fabric off his shoulders until it pools around their feet before turning them around and forcing him to lay back. Oliver bounces slightly on the mattress and arches a brow at her.

Her hands find their way to unbuckle his belt as she leans forward, popping open the button and undoing the zipper. She reaches forward to pull off his pants, tugging his boxers along with them, and her eyes darken as his hard cock springs free from its confines. When she is standing straight again, her fingers disappear underneath her shimmering velvet dress before hooking around the sides of her thong, dragging the lace undergarment down her legs until she can step out of them. Gathering up her dress slightly and climbing on top of him, she mimics his facial expression, "What? Got a problem giving up control?"

"Nope," he answers with a grin, "It's sexy."

Felicity smirks down at him and stands up on her knees where they are bracketing his hips, arching her back as her fingers wrap around the bottom of her dress and drag it up her body before carelessly throwing it into the semi-darkness of the room, only illuminated by the downstairs lights over the banister. His eyes readily drink in her naked form, remembering just how long it's been since their one night together, and he shudders when his dick momentarily slides between her wet folds. Oliver grabs her hips and moves to sit up in an attempt to connect their lips, but she stops him with her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down onto the bed a bit roughly. She grabs his wrists where they're settled on her waist and pins his arms above his head, capturing his lips in a frenzied kiss and grinding her hips where she is settled against his lower abs. Hands keeping his pinned above them, she moves away slightly but stays close enough for their breaths to mingle, hers hitching in her throat as she continues to rub herself against him.

"Felicity," he breathes out, craning his neck to try to kiss her before she straightens her back. While one hand keeps his where they are, the other traces down his chest and abs before moving up her own body. Felicity closes her eyes, rocking her hips as her hand caresses her breast, fingers playing with her hardened nipple. He tries to steady his breathing as she rubs her wetness against his abs, her backside just out of reach of the tip of his dick, and he groans while watching her pleasure herself with his body. Oliver can't help but let out a grunt of frustration and she opens an eye to peek at him, a smiling tugging up the corners of her mouth. Slowing her movements, she leans forward until her peaked nipples brush against his sculpted chest and whispers, lilac strands of hair ghosting across his skin, "Don't worry, I'll return the favor."

Slowly making her way down his body, her lips travel across his chest and down his abs, stopping in her journey to lick up some of her juices, making him growl. She continues until she reaches his painfully hard cock and places a kiss to the base before licking a long stripe all the way to the tip, collecting up the bead of moisture that has formed there with her tongue. His breath hitches in his throat as she doesn't waste any more time in swallowing him into the warmth of her mouth, unable to keep his arms where she placed them when the need to thread his fingers through her silky locks overtakes him.

Felicity's head bobs up and down under his guidance, his hips thrusting up inside her mouth lightly while muttering various curse words. Her tongue sticks out to circle around the tip of his dick, and she feels him shudder before grinding out through a clenched jaw, _"Fel-i-ci-ty."_

Taking pity on him, she releases him with a wet pop and resettles herself with her knees bracketing his hips, rubbing his throbbing cock between her folds. Leaning forward, she mutters between kisses to his throat, "Condom."

Without looking, Oliver reaches out his arm towards his nightstand, opening the second drawer and rifling around until he finds what he is looking for. Before he has a chance to open it, Felicity grabs the item from his hand and tears open the foil packet with her teeth, much like she did their first night together. Wasting no time, she scoots back enough to grasp his length firmly in her hand and roll the condom onto him. She lifts herself onto her knees, readying him at her entrance before slowly lowering herself onto him, moaning as she takes him in deeper and deeper. His palms travel up her legs as her own drag along his chest, nails scratching lightly over his skin. His hands settle on her hips as she lifts herself up and sinks back down, repeating the action a few times before increasing her speed. Her eyes fall shut as she adds a twist to her hips while she moves, causing him to groan and dig his fingers into her soft flesh.

After a couple more minutes of allowing her to be in control, Oliver raises a hand to tangle in her curls, his other arm banding around her waist as he sits up slightly. He pulls her close and uses the momentum to flip them over without disconnecting their lips. The new angle allows him to thrust deeper inside her and she gasps against his mouth, meeting him thrust for thrust. Now it is his turn to circle his hips, and it causes her clit to drag across his pelvic bone and cries out, clenching her walls around him as she feels the familiar tingling begin to start deep in her belly. She gasps against his mouth, "Oliver."

Knowing that she is telling him she is close, Oliver quickens his pace, pounding even harder and deeper inside her wet heat. The tension building inside her finally explodes and she comes with a loud cry, her muscles spasming and clenching around him triggering his own release. His thrusts begin to lose their rhythm as he comes inside her, both of them riding out their highs for as long as possible. His movements slow and finally come to a halt as he collapses on top of her, both a them breathing erratically. After a few moments of her fingers stroking absentmindedly up and down his back, Oliver rolls off her and sits up to head to the bathroom and clean himself up. When he finishes, he half expects her to be asleep or gone as he makes his way back into his room, but he finds her there, laying underneath the thin sheets of his bed, watching him with a lazy smile.

A grin finds its way onto his face as he makes his way towards the bed, pulling back the covers and settling in next to her, sighing contentedly when she immediately curls into his side. His arm winds around Felicity's back and her head rests against his shoulder, her hand running along his chiseled abs. A crinkle forms between her brows as the tips of her fingers ghost over the black ink she is just now noticing. She takes in the Chinese characters moving vertically down his side, "Did you have this before? When we met?"

Eyes following her touch, a small smile flashes across his face, "Yeah. I've had it since my twenty-first birthday."

"Oh," she pouts. "How did I not notice this before?"

He laughs, "Too distracted by my perfectly sculpted body?"

She lightly slaps his stomach, "Shut up." Their chuckles die down after a couple seconds, and she goes back to tracing over the tattoo with the pads of her fingers. "What does it mean?"

Oliver's breath hitches at her question, and he debates whether he should tell her the truth before closing his eyes and letting out a breath, "I don't know. It was just some stupid dare from Tommy when we were drunk."

Not picking up on his tone, she giggles sleepily, her eyes fluttering closed, "Seriously? Man, you guys really were dumb."

Moving his fingers up and down the smooth skin of her naked back, he hears her breathing start to slow and knows that she is falling asleep, and he forces out a small laugh, "Yeah."


	12. Chapter 11

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Sunlight peaks through the half open curtains and Oliver stirs awake as the rays heat up his face. He scrunches up his eyes and rolls over onto his stomach, expecting for his outstretched arm to drape across another body when it flops onto cold sheets. Lifting his head off his pillow, he opens his eyes to take in the empty bed and his stomach drops. She left. Again. Sighing, he sits up in bed, the covers pooling low around his naked waist when he smells something coming from downstairs, wafting over the lofted banister. That's when his eyes spot her shoes at the foot of the bed and her clothes discarded across the floor from their night of passion. He exhales in relief at the realization and rises to his feet, moving to his closet and stepping into a pair of dark sweats.

As Oliver heads out of his room, he tugs a t-shirt over his head while walking down the stairs. Rounding the corner and maneuvering through the living room, his eyes land on her figure standing in front of the stove. A smile tugs up the corners of his mouth as he drinks in her appearance, traveling up her long legs, eyes pausing briefly at the hem of his shirt she is wearing that stops just below her butt before continuing up over her silky, lavender waves. He can't help but stand there in silence for a few moments to just admire her; she truly is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. And not just because of her crystalline eyes, or the slight slope of her nose, or her smooth curves, but because of _her._ Before he'd met her, he hadn't thought much; yes, he had thought she was gorgeous and extremely talented. Anything he knew about her personality was from interviews and tabloids, although he knows better than anyone that the media can warp things until it portrays what they want it to portray. Now he knows that she's so much more than the scandals they show. She's… _Felicity._

"Shit!" Felicity hisses as she removes a pan from the stovetop and tosses it into the sink, flicking the tap until a heavy stream of water floods out.

Oliver, pulled from his blatant ogling, barks out a laugh at her antics, and she peers over her shoulder before shutting off the water and turning to face him completely. "Don't laugh at me," she pouts as he approaches her.

"What are you doing?" he asks with a grin, wrapping his arms around her waist and hers immediately circle his neck.

"Well, I was _trying_ to make pancakes, but I burned them. Actually, they somehow started on fire." Felicity glares down at the crusted pan, "I don't know what happened, I followed the instructions online."

"Aw, you tried to make me breakfast?"

"Tried and failed," she chuckles at herself and her infamous inability to cook. Leaning up on her tiptoes to eliminate the few inches between them, she connects their lips in a slow kiss that quickly heats up as she forces her tongue into his mouth. After a few seconds, a lack of air causes her to pull away, but she doesn't go far. Her fingers absentmindedly play with the short strands of hair at the base of his neck and she gazes up at him under long lashes, "Hi."

"Hi," he returns her smile and brings up a hand to tuck a strand of messy hair behind her ear, "I gotta say, when I woke up to an empty bed, I thought you ran out on me."

She knows he is just teasing but can sense an undertone of worry to his words, so she tries to convey everything she is feeling through her deep blue orbs, "Not this time."

Seeing the truth to her words, Oliver decides to lighten the sudden heaviness surrounding them by raising a brow and smirking down at her, moving his hands down her body to finger the hem of his shirt, "I see you found your way to my closet."

Her grin grows and her eyes sparkle with mischief, "Yeah well, I thought that it might look better on me. No offense."

"None taken, you were right," he ducks his head, and his lips connect with her pulse point before he travels underneath the dark blue Henley to squeeze her ass in both hands. He smiles against her skin when she cranes her neck, and her breath hitches in her throat.

Oliver is just about to lift her onto the counter when there is a knock at the front door, and he groans. She chuckles at the irritation on his face as he pulls away. "Who would be here this early?"

"Probably just the door man, I ask him to deliver larger envelopes right away instead of putting them in my mailbox. I'll get it, and then _I_ will make _you_ pancakes so that the building doesn't burn down."

"Shut up," she pushes at his shoulder as he moves around her and out of the kitchen. "Hey, where's your bathroom?"

He turns to look at her, walking backwards towards the door and pointing, "Just around that corner." Watching as she nods and heads towards where he directed, Oliver can't stop an easy smile from forming on his face, a happiness flooding him that he hasn't felt in a while after everything that's happened with his family. Another knock sounds and he takes the few remaining steps before unlocking the door and pulling it open, ready to accept the envelope from Frederick when his smile falls slightly at the person standing in front of him. He gulps nervously, "Laurel?"

"Hi Ollie," she smiles shyly, her eyes brightening at the sight of him, and she tightens her grip on the strap of her handbag.

"What, uh," he clears his throat, "What are you doing here?"

Laurel reaches up to tuck a brunette lock behind her ear, "I wanted to talk. I know that we left things sorta rough at Verdant, and I just… I miss you, Ollie."

He sucks in a sharp breath as uneasiness fills his body. This is what he was afraid of. "Laurel, I -"

"- wait," she interrupts, "Can I finish first?" At his small nod, Laurel takes in a deep breath and continues, "I'm so sorry for the way I've been treating everyone recently. My dad, Sara… You. Ollie, I still love you. And I know that you broke up with me because of my drinking, but I've been going to AA meetings." She reaches into her bag and pulls out something small, round and red, turning it over in her fingers, "I've been sober for thirty days. So I thought that maybe… Maybe we can go get coffee or something and try to work things out, because I still believe that we're supposed to be together, Ollie."

The rock in his stomach sinks with each of her words and Oliver stares at her with sad eyes, trying to think of a way to respond without completely crushing her heart, when a voice coming from inside the apartment finds the words for him. "Hey, do you have any sprinkles? I know it sounds weird, but funfetti pancakes are amaz -" Felicity halts her steps at the sight in front of her, her half naked form in clear view to the other woman, "- ing," she finishes lamely. "Sorry, I didn't know someone was here."

Laurel's smile falls immediately as her eyes dart between Oliver and Felicity. After a few seconds, Felicity decides to break the extremely awkward silence by closing the distance between herself and the other woman, sticking out her hand with a smile, "Hi. I'm Felicity Smoak." Deciding to make a bold move, she clarifies, "Oliver's girlfriend."

The brunette is visibly shaken by the title but tries to hide it, forcing a fake smile and grabbing her hand to shake it in hello, "I'm Laurel Lance -"

"- Lance," she finishes in unison and chuckles when Laurel looks to her in surprise, "You look a lot like Sara."

"Right," she pulls her hand away and sucks in a sharp breath, eyes flitting back to Oliver, and he can see the pain behind them. "Well, sorry to interrupt your day. I guess I'll see you later Ollie." Taking a step back, Laurel offers a little wave, "Nice meeting you, Felicity."

The couple watches as she disappears around the corner towards the elevators and Oliver slowly closes the front door, cautiously turning to face Felicity. After a few seconds, the natural blonde breaks the silence surrounding them, "So… What did your ex want at 10:30 in the morning on a Saturday?"

Her voice conveys a false casualness, and he can see right through it. "Nothing, she just wanted to apologize for how we left things because she's sober now." He narrows his eyes at the small nod she gives and takes a step forward, unable to keep the growing grin off his face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're jealous."

Folding her arms across her chest, Felicity scoffs, "You wish, Queen."

His grin only widens until it's a full-blown smirk, "My _girlfriend,_ huh?"

"What?" she questions before her eyes widen and she remembers that she _actually_ said that. Out loud. In front of someone else. In front of his _ex. Oh god._ Her arms fall back to her sides, "I didn't… I mean, I'm not… You're not… I mean, _we're_ not…"

Finding her stuttering incredibly adorable, he closes the distance between them and grabs both of her hands in his. She meets his eyes at the feel of his warm skin against hers, and he rubs his thumbs back and forth across the backs of her hands. "Felicity," he smiles. "I think that the word 'girlfriend' sounds pretty accurate."

"Oh," she breathes out before a shy grin tugs up the corners of her mouth. "Okay."

Oliver starts walking backwards towards the kitchen, dragging her along with him, "So, what were you saying about funfetti pancakes?"

* * *

Finishing off her third helping of pancakes, Felicity drops her plate into the sink before venturing upstairs in the direction Oliver had gone a few minutes earlier. Rounding the corner into his bedroom, her brows draw together at the sight of him tugging a shirt over his head and she rushes over to him with extended arms. "No, no, no! What are you doing?"

His mouth falls opens slightly as he stares at her, "Uh, getting dressed?"

"Why?"

He chuckles, "Because it's almost noon. Don't you think it's about time I take you home?"

"I guess," she pouts. "But first, I need to shower." He nods his head over his shoulder in the direction towards the bathroom and she shakes her own, raising a suggestive brow as a smirk forms on her face.

A grin tugs up the corners of his mouth, "Felicity Smoak, you are gonna get me in a lot of trouble someday."

"That's the plan," she giggles and fists his shirt in her hand, tugging him closer and connecting their lips. Just as her palms begin to scrape under his shirt and across his warm, chiseled abs, a frantic knocking against the front door sounds from downstairs. She pulls away with a groan, "Why do people keep showing up just when things start getting good?"

"I'll get rid of them," he assures quickly, feeling the same frustration as her.

"Good." Felicity begins moving backwards towards the bathroom, teasingly pulling up the hem of the shirt she is wearing, "Better make it quick or I'll have to start without you." She chuckles as he quickly rushes out of the room and proceeds with tugging the shirt over her head, carelessly tossing it on the tile floor. Dropping her panties to the floor and stepping out of them, Felicity opens the glass door to the shower and leans in to turn it on. She steps back, allowing the water to warm up, and turns to face herself in the mirror. Sighing, she takes in her reflection and can't help the genuine smile that finds its way on her face, because for the first time in a long time - maybe _ever_ \- she feels happy and hopeful and _worthy._

About halfway down the stairs, Oliver hears the water from the shower turn on and picks up his pace, ready to get rid of whoever the hell is at his door preventing him from taking a very _dirty_ shower with his new girlfriend. Without even looking through the peephole, he opens the door about to speak but is immediately pushed backwards into his apartment. "What the hell?" he narrows his eyes, realizing the man on the other side of the door is Tommy, and that he does _not_ look happy.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Tommy growls, slamming the door shut behind him and shoving a magazine into his best friend's face. "What the hell is this?!"

Moving his head back slightly so that he can see, he sighs and knocks Tommy's arm out of his face. Oliver fixes him with a bored gaze, "I can explain."

"Explain what? Why there's pictures in here from last night of you making out with Felicity?! I _told_ you that she was off limits!"

"I know and I'm sor -"

"- Sorry?" Tommy interrupts with an incredulous laugh. "God, I can't believe you! I can't believe you would try and make a move on her, especially after I told you how fragile she is!" He shoves him again, not hard enough to actually hurt him but aggressive enough to make him collide lightly with the wooden dining chair behind him.

Clenching his fists, Oliver takes a threatening step forward, "You should keep your hands to yourself before you do something you'll regret, Tommy."

"Like what?" he steps in his face and they're almost chest to chest, "Kick your ass?"

He narrows his eyes and is about to respond when the soft pattering of feet hits his ears followed by her familiar voice, "Hey, are you okay? I was getting lonely in the shower and then I heard some weird noises, it sounded like something might've fallen." Felicity's smile falls slightly at the sight and she comes to a stop near the bottom of the stairs, tugging the incredibly tiny bath towel tighter around her naked body, her lavender hair dripping where it hangs down her back in wet curls. "Uh, Tommy. Hey."

The brunette takes a step back and his eyes rapidly move between his client and his best friend, settling on the latter. "Are you kidding me? You _slept_ with her?!"

"Tommy -"

"- After you promised me that you wouldn't?!"

Her brows furrow and she takes a step forward, "Wait, what?"

The two men continue arguing, not acknowledging her words. "I only said that to get you off my back, I would never actually promise something like that. C'mon, man. You're overreacting to this."

"No, I don't think I am! Ollie, she's friends with Thea. _Thea._ She's only twenty-one!"

"Hey!" Felicity points a finger at him, careful to keep one hand holding her towel closed as she closes the distance between them even more. "I'm twenty-two, thank you very much, and Thea is awesome. And I don't appreciate you trying to control who I date. You manage my career, _not_ my sex life."

Tommy cringes at her word choice before scoffing, "Who you _date?_ What, you guys are dating now?"

"Yeah," Oliver answers confidently, straightening his back to stand taller. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about us sooner, but this isn't just some one night stand. I have real feelings for her, Tommy."

He scoffs again and shakes his head, "This is unbelievable."

The magazine catches Felicity's eye, and she reaches forward to grab it out of his hand and examine it. It's a copy of today's _People_ and not for the first time, a picture of her is on the cover. Except this time, there is an inset picture of Oliver and a headline about their kiss last night. She can't help but chuckle as she reads over the headline, "Starling's Newest Power Couple?" Both men's eyes fly to her at the sound of her amused voice. "Our new fave couple. Huh. Olicity," she tests the word out on her tongue. "Y'know, I've heard worse." She is brought back to the situation at hand by the silence and lifts her chin to see them staring at her. She shrugs, "What? Obviously they like the idea of us together, I don't see what the big deal is. This is good publicity so as my manager, you should be happy, right? Or are you only happy when it's something that you control?"

Tommy narrows his eyes at her challenging tone, "I'm only happy when my friends don't lie and completely blindside me. I know you both, and I know that there is only one way that this so-called relationship can end. And that is not something that will be 'good publicity'."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she huffs, offended at what she knows he is implying.

He sighs, "Felicity."

"No, please. Tell me how you think this 'so-called relationship' will end."

"With cheating and anger and heartbreak. And it'll damage your career."

Oliver notices the way Felicity's jaw clenches in hurt, and he steps in between her and his best friend, hands in tight fists at his side. "I think you should leave."

He scoffs once again, "Seriously?" At Oliver's continued silence, Tommy shakes his head in disbelief, "Fine. But we're not done talking about this."

The couple watches as he turns and leaves the apartment, the sound of the door closing echoing behind him. Facing Felicity, Oliver closes the distance between them and runs his fingertips over the exposed skin of her arm, "Are you okay?"

Her eyes come back into focus and she forces a smile, "Yeah. Are you? I mean, he's your best friend…"

"Yeah, I'm… I don't know."

"Well, look on the bright side. Apparently, the country thinks we make a good couple. 'Power couple' to be exact." He lets out a chuckle, but she senses that it isn't completely genuine. Wanting to cheer _both_ of them up, she immediately remembers what they were doing before they were so rudely interrupted moments ago. A smirk tugs up the corners of her lips, and she tosses the magazine onto the couch before casually loosening her grip on the towel, allowing it to pool around her feet. He sucks in a sharp breath at the sight and she shrugs a shoulder, raising a brow, "Oops."

Eyes darkening, Oliver lunges forward and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her feet off the ground. He tosses her over his shoulder and jogs towards the staircase, her laughs bouncing off the walls of the open space as they go.


	13. Chapter 12

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Removing the designer sunglasses from the top of her head and placing them on top of her nose, Felicity steps out of the town car and onto the sidewalk in front of Tommy's office building. She sends Diggle a nod in thanks before making her way inside, leaving him to wait - per her request, he has been giving her a little bit more space while still doing his job. When she had finally decided to leave Oliver's apartment the other day, she texted her bodyguard to come pick her up only for him to respond that he'd been watching the outside of the building for hours. She will be the first to admit that she finds his overprotectiveness quite refreshing compared to the male figures of her past; it's like he really is her knight in shining armor. As she rides up the elevator, she replaces her sunglasses on top of her braided locks, unable to wipe the smile that has persisted since the weekend from her face. While she hasn't seen Oliver in person since Saturday, they've been texting nonstop, and she has honestly never been happier. Except now, as the elevator travels up several floors, a sense of dread fills her at the thought of facing her manager. Not only did he completely overreact to her new relationship with his best friend, but she really doesn't want the perfect bubble she's been living in to burst.

The elevator dings, the doors opening. Felicity heads out towards Tommy's office, the flowing sleeves of her playsuit brushing up against the bare skin of her thighs with every step. "Hi Curtis," she smiles at the older man.

The executive assistant's head flies up from where he'd been studiously writing in Tommy's calendar and he returns her smile, "Hey girl. Can I just be the first to say congratulations on landing such a hottie? I am the first, right?"

A laugh bubbles past her lips and she shakes her head slightly, "Yes, you are the first. And probably the only one in this office who is actually happy for me."

He cringes before raising a hand to adjust his glasses, and Felicity can't help but be thankful for her contacts, not missing the constant annoying action, "Mister Merlyn didn't take it so well?"

"That would be an understatement. Is he here?"

"Yeah, he's expecting you. Mister Steele should be here soon."

"Thanks, Curtis." Inhaling a deep breath, Felicity suppresses the urge to fiddle with her necklace as she mentally prepares herself before opening the door. Her eyes immediately land on Tommy in a crisp suit, sitting at his desk and filling out paperwork. He doesn't even raise his eyes at the sounds of both the door closing and the heels of her boots against the floor. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, she clears her throat, "Hey." Tommy only gives a slight nod in acknowledgement. She sighs in frustration and plops down in one of the black leather chairs in his office, "Seriously, Tommy? You are totally overreacting about this entire thing."

His hand stops its movement and he slowly sets down the ballpoint pen, lifting his head to finally look at her with an arched eyebrow. "Overreacting? Overreacting to my best friend having sex with my best client?"

"Is that all I am to you? A client? Because I thought that we were friends."

"We are," he supplies immediately, without even a thought.

She groans, "Then don't you just want me to be happy? Oliver makes me happy, Tommy."

"Ew," his face twists in disgust. "I don't need details of your sexual games with him."

Felicity's brows draw together as her face scrunches up at his words. Anger bubbling up in her, she quickly rises to her feet, "What? God, is that all you think I'm good for? Spreading my legs? I'll have you know that it's not just about that with Oliver. I have real feelings for him!"

Following her movements, Tommy's stands, his desk chair rolling away slightly with the force, "No, of course not. Felicity, this isn't about the fact that you're sleeping with someone - I don't care what you do in your personal time, I never have. But, Oliver? Seriously?" Noticing that she is about to respond, he raises a hand to stop her, "Not only is he my _best friend_ \- who is eight years older than you, by the way - he is not the kind of person that you should be with!"

"Why?" she challenges. "You're acting like he's the devil's nephew, but you said it yourself - he's your best friend!"

He tries to steady himself with a deep breath, "He _is,_ and I love him like a brother. But he is _terrible_ at relationships. He has had one serious relationship his entire life, one that he got out of barely a year ago. And even when he was with Laurel, he cheated on her. He and I are the same - we don't do relationships! And this isn't even taking into consideration _your_ history."

"Well maybe this is different!"

"Why?" he lets out a noise that is somewhat between a scoff and a humorless laugh, "Because he told you that you were different? That you were _'special'?_ Felicity, believe me, that's what we say to get hot, young girls into bed." Silence envelops them and she can't help but let doubt creep over her, his words sinking into her mind. She is about to speak when his phone's intercom buzzes. Tommy exhales and pushes the talk-back button, "What?"

"Mister Steele is here," Curtis' voice crackles over the speaker.

"Thanks, Curtis. Send him in," he commands. Turning back to Felicity, he raises a brow at her, "We aren't done with this conversation."

Irritation overtakes her and she rolls her eyes as he pushes past her to greet Walter Steele, the owner of the record label she is signed with, Steele Records. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she turns to take in the dark-skinned man, dressed familiarly in a dashing suit. His charm is only heightened by his British accent, "Hello, Felicity. Nice to see you, as always."

"Mister Steele, hi," she reaches out to shake his extended hand.

"Oh, please. I've told you to call me Walter."

Tommy smiles at the interaction and unbuttons his suit jacket, holding out a hand and gesturing towards the office's sitting area, "Please, let's have a seat."

Once all three of them are settled, Felicity breaks the silence, fingers nervously playing with the ends of her shorts. "So, I've tried to stay off social media since Saturday. How has the response been to our new material?"

Walter clears his throat as both pairs of eyes stare at him expectantly, "Felicity, I know that the executives of the label were not too thrilled with the new songs you provided them. Personally, I found the different direction… refreshing. And the majority of your fans seem to agree with me."

She can't help but widen her eyes in surprise, "Wait, seriously?"

"Yes," Walter chuckles. "When the videos were first being posted and livestreamed, people were a bit concerned about the songs. They liked them, but didn't _love_ them. But once the pictures were leaked of you and Oliver Queen, everyone fell in love."

A smile spreads across her face, "Wow, that's amaz - wait. Why would their reactions change because of us?"

"Well, once they realized that you wrote the songs about being in love with their favorite billionaire Oliver Queen, they enjoyed your new direction so much more."

Her stomach drops at his words. _In love?_ She clears her throat before voicing her thoughts, "In love? I didn't write my new songs about being in love with Oliver Queen. I'm _not_ in love with Oliver Queen. We've been dating since Friday!" The older man's brows furrow in confusion and she shakes her head, anger quickly erasing the brief happiness she felt at the idea of proving the record label executives wrong. "So, what? The songs were just 'okay', but when fans think they're about a guy, they become 'great'? That is so sexist! I write my songs about me, not about boys. No offense to Taylor Swift, but I want to be more than that."

Leaning forward slightly in his chair, Tommy speaks up, "I think what Felicity means is that while she appreciates the fans' support, she just wishes it had been since the beginning."

She sends a glare his way, "No, I'm pretty sure Felicity knows what Felicity means." She resists the urge to yell at him, getting tired of him speaking for her. What she should do, who she should date, how she should feel. She has dealt with it her entire life; enough is enough. Their friendship is important to her, but so is her career - she's worked hard to be where she is, and she didn't get here by writing lovey dovey songs about a boy who didn't call her back. There are far greater problems in her life to deal with. The thought that _City in Smoke_ 's fans only changed their opinions on the new music when they found out she is with Oliver is unsettling, to say the least. What happens when their relationship falls apart? Are the fans just going to abandon them completely? "The songs are not about him, they're about me. I've hit a new period in my life; I'm in a new city, and I just feel different. The songs are not about him."

"Alright," Walter holds out his hands in defense, trying to calm her down. "Either way, the response has been good and the label wants to move forward with the album. Maybe we can set up some interviews and photoshoots to shift the publicity more towards you rather than your relationship."

At his reassurance, Felicity takes a deep breath and nods slowly. Observing the exchange, Tommy decides to put in his two cents, "Walter, I think that is a great idea. I can start setting things up right after this meeting. I also wanted to double check the contract with _City in Smoke_ performing the feature song for Ray Palmer's new action movie."

Walter clears his throat, "Yes, everything is in motion. It won't need to be officially recorded for a few weeks, but it shouldn't be an inconvenience considering the film is actually filming in Starling. The producers have expressed interest in setting up a photoshoot with Palmer and Felicity to help create some buzz."

She groans internally and resists the urge to roll her eyes, tuning out the rest of their business conversation. While she has only met him a few times at red carpet events or parties, she absolutely _despises_ Ray Palmer. He was arrogant and persistent in trying to get a date with her, even though she clearly wasn't interested. As discreetly as she can manage, Felicity sneaks her iPhone out of her bag, unlocking it and opening her messages to type one out.

 _ **to Oliver:**_

 _ **this meeting is so boring! save me xoxox**_

Only about a minute passes until her phone vibrates against where it is hidden under her thigh, and she tries to hide her smile as they continue to talk.

 _ **from Oliver:**_

 _ **wish i could, you have no idea..**_

Before she can respond, another message comes through.

 _ **from Oliver:**_

 _ **do you want to meet up after your meeting?**_

Butterflies flutter in her stomach at the prospect of seeing him for the first time in three days.

 _ **to Oliver:**_

 _ **yeah, just tell me where**_

 _ **from Oliver:**_

 _ **jitters on 5th?**_

"Felicity?"

She quickly locks her phone and her head flies up, "Huh?"

Tommy sends her a glare for not paying attention, but Walter just chuckles at the younger girl, "I just wanted to say goodbye. It was lovely seeing you." She returns his smile with a genuine one of her own - she really does like him - and watches as Tommy leads him to the door, shaking his hand.

The brown-haired man approaches her, his arms folded across his chest, "You can at least pretend to pay attention during these meetings."

A laugh bubbles past her lips as she types out a quick response and secures her phone back in her bag before standing, "Oh, relax. I'll see you later."

"What?" a crinkle forms in the space between his eyebrows, his arms falling to his sides. "Where are you going? We weren't done talking before."

Felicity sighs and wraps her fingers around the strap of her purse where it hangs from her shoulder, "I'm meeting up with Oliver."

"No, you aren't. Like I said, we weren't done talking."

The anger that had settled from earlier quickly resurfaces, "Tommy, just stop. No matter what you say, nothing's gonna change the fact that I'm dating Oliver. We're both your friends; you should be happy for us. I don't understand what your problem is. It's not like you're in love with me or something!" At the silence that envelops them, her eyes widen almost comically, "You're not in love with me, are you?"

"What? No!"

"Well then, are you in love with Oliver?"

He shakes his head, "Felicity, c'mon. Of course not."

"Then I really don't understand why you are taking this so personally. Stop thinking of it as me and your best friend, or him and your best client. We're not trying to purposely make things weird for you. I didn't even think I'd ever see him again when we first slept together after my concert four months ago."

"It's not even abou - Wait." His brows furrow as he takes in her words carefully, "You slept with him after your concert? _Before_ you came to Starling?"

Felicity realizes what she said too late, and she cringes. "Yeah, we… We ran into each other at the bar in my hotel. Like I said, I didn't think I'd ever see him again."

He scoffs, "Yeah, which is why you conveniently decided to move to here."

"Tommy," she sighs. "I'm tired of trying to justify myself, to you of all people. So if you have anything else to say about this, you can take it up with Oliver." Raising a challenging brow, Felicity pushes past her silent manager and leaves his office.

* * *

Grabbing the keys to his bike, Oliver opens the front door to go meet Felicity at Jitters when he is stopped by his younger sister standing in the doorway, hand raised in a fist like she was about to knock. "Speedy, hey. I was actually just about to head out so -"

"- We need to talk," Thea interrupts, pushing her way past him and into the loft.

"Alright then," he sighs and closes the door, moving to follow her. He settles across from her on the ottoman of the couch. "What's up?"

"Okay, first of all. You and Felicity. What's the deal with that?"

He chuckles, "I was actually just on my way to meet her. We're dating."

A wide grin tugs up the corners of her mouth and she claps her hands together, "Oh my god, seriously?! This is amazing! My brother is dating a rock star. An actual rock star could be my sister-in-law!"

"Slow down there, Speedy."

"Sorry, I just… want to enjoy the happiness before I ruin it," her smile turns sad, her eyes falling to avoid his.

His brows draw together in concern at his baby sister's sudden shift in mood. "Why? What's wrong?"

She inhales a deep breath before lifting her chin, using what little strength she can muster, "I think Mom and Dad might be getting a divorce."

Oliver's breath hitches and he has to clear his throat before being able to respond, "What… Why would you say that?"

"Last night I was going to ask Dad for some money for this new bag that I want, since Mom took away my credit card. But when I got to his office, the door wasn't closed all the way and I could hear him on the phone with someone. Obviously, me being _me,_ I eavesdropped and heard him use the names 'James' and 'Mister Warner" throughout the call. Later, I googled 'James Warner' and found out that he's a lawyer at a firm called _Warner and Associates._ Ollie, he's a divorce lawyer, and Dad was talking to him about documents and terms and assets."

"Alright, Thea. Take a deep breath." He waits as she calms herself down, feeling anger bubble up inside him. Did Robert honestly have the audacity to not only have an affair, but then try to leave his mother for another woman? Because according to his last conversation about this with Moira, she certainly didn't plan on leaving her husband anytime soon. He also can't help but feel guilty for knowing the truth about his parent's marriage, and for how he's essentially been lying to Thea. Once his sister's breathing has slowed considerably, Oliver reaches out and grasps one of her hands in his. "Speedy, don't worry. I'm sure there is some sort of explanation. Maybe you misheard something. Whatever it is, just don't think about it, okay? I'll figure out what's going on."

"Promise?" her voice is quiet and the vulnerability in her eyes as she stares at him makes her look like a child, back when she followed her big brother around like he was superman.

His stomach drops at that look in her eyes and he forces the next two words out of his mouth, "I promise."

* * *

Opening the door to Jitters, Oliver steps into the crowded coffee shop, and his eyes immediately search until landing on a head of lilac waves. A smile spreads on his face without even thinking about it as he maneuvers his way towards her, noticing the pairs of eyes that are attempting to subtly watch her. "Hey," he greets and she raises her chin, a grin forming at the sight of him.

Felicity puts away her phone and slides off the stool she is sitting on, jumping slightly in excitement and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hi," she says, smiling against his mouth as she presses her lips to his.

He wraps his arms around her waist and returns the kiss briefly before pulling away, not wanting to make too much of a show given all the eyes on them. Moving away enough to peer down at her sparkling blue eyes, his own take in her appearance; they immediately darken as they travel from the deep 'V' of her top. down her long legs covered in thigh-high boots, and back up again. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." She places another quick peck to his lips before taking a step back, settling back on her previous stool and motioning to the empty space next to her. "I got you a latte."

He sits down, "Thanks. Sorry I'm a little late, Thea showed up at my place when I was leaving."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, just," he scrubs a hand over his face and sighs, pushing away the topic with a tired smile, "Family drama."

Her brows furrow in concern and she reaches out, placing a comforting hand on his forearm, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No," Oliver shakes his head and shifts his arm to interlock their fingers, "I don't want to think about." He changes the subject, "How was your meeting with Tommy?"

"Ugh," she groans. "I don't know what his deal is. He is really, _really_ upset about us."

Sensing the underlying hurt in her annoyed tone, he rubs his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand, "Felicity, what did he say to you?"

"It doesn't matter. It just… It didn't go well."

"Well, don't worry about it. I'll talk to him." He offers a reassuring smile before finally noticing the whispers surrounding them. Glancing around, he takes in the numerous people with their phones out trying to discreetly take pictures of them, and he can just tell that some of them are working up the courage to come and ask for an autograph or something from her. He turns back to face Felicity, "Do you want to get out of here?"

Gazing around herself, Felicity chuckles and stands, "Yes, please." He follows suit and right when he turns his back to head out of the coffee shop, she wraps her fingers around his wrist and tugs him to collide with her chest, mouths meeting. Her fingers tangle through the short strands of his hands as she deepens the kiss, plunging her tongue into the warmth of his mouth. A few moments later, they pull away and she smiles at him breathlessly. She quirks an eyebrow, sending a smirk his way, "Might as well give them a show."

A laugh bubbles past Oliver's lips before he grabs her hand, leading her outside to where his motorcycle is parked on the curb.


	14. Chapter 13

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Oliver steps off the elevator and makes his way towards his best friend's office - he'd gone to his apartment first, considering it's Saturday, only to have no one answer the door. It's time they talk this out. Tommy's reaction to his relationship with Felicity was understandable at first - he was surprised and upset that his friends kept something from him. But now? It just doesn't make sense and has started to takes its toll on Felicity, which is definitely not okay. After her meeting the other day, Oliver could tell that whatever her manager said had lingered in her mind.

Oliver continues his determined stride as he enters the office's waiting room, ignoring Tommy's assistant's calls for him to stop as he swings open the door. Tommy's head lifts from the paperwork he is looking over, his brows drawn together at the sudden intrusion. "What did you say to Felicity?" Oliver demands, fists clenching where they hang at his sides.

"Mister Merlyn, I'm sorry. He just barged in. Do you want me to call security?" Curtis asks from his position in the doorway, not realizing who the other man is. When his eyes finally take him in, they widen in realization. "Oh my god. You're Oliver Queen."

Tilting his head to the side, Oliver's mouth ticks in amusement at the taller man's reaction. "Hi."

Curtis stammers for a response but is interrupted by his boss before he can make a complete fool of himself - he's married, for god's sake. "It's fine, Curtis. Give us the room, please." He nods and backs up, pulling the door closed as he goes, eyes never leaving Oliver's form. He isn't even ashamed to admit that they wander to appreciate his _very_ nice backside. Damn, Felicity is one lucky girl.

Once they're alone, Tommy caps the pen he is using and sits back in his chair, "What are you doing here, Oliver?"

"What did you say to Felicity? She's been upset ever since your meeting."

He rolls his eyes, "I really don't think that's any of your concern."

"Like hell it's not," Oliver scoffs. "It's my concern when someone makes my girlfriend visibly upset, especially when that someone is supposed to be my friend. Supposed to be _her_ friend."

Now it's his turn to scoff as he stands. "Girlfriend? Please, Ollie. Stop pretending like this is anything other than a rebound from Laurel. I know you slept with Felicity after her concert, and now you're just trying to prove that you're over Laurel. But Felicity isn't the girl to do that with - she deserves better than that."

"I know that. That's not what this is. Laurel and I are over."

"Not according to her."

His brows crinkle together in confusion and he narrows his eyes, "Did she say something to you?"

"She didn't have to. It's always been the 'Laurel and Ollie Show'," he shakes his head, barely masked bitterness coloring his voice.

"We've been over for months, and even if Felicity wasn't in the picture, we wouldn't be getting back together. She knows that. But this isn't about Laurel, Tommy. This is about you and me. Why are you so pissed about this? Am I really that terrible of a guy? Is that what you think?"

His expression softens at those words, "Of course not. Ollie, you're my best friend. I just - I just don't think it's a good idea, okay? She's young and - and she's been through a lot."

"Okay, stop saying that she's too young for me. I know you, and I know that you don't care about that kind of thing," Oliver challenges, continuing when the other man opens his mouth to respond. "And I know what she's been through."

Pausing, Tommy considers his words with narrowed eyes, "So she told you about Cooper?"

 _Cooper? Who the hell is Cooper?_ He meant that he knows about her family - about her father abandoning her. _Who is Cooper?_

At the look on his face, he folds his arms across his chest, "Yeah. That's what I thought."

Oliver shifts, "It doesn't matter. She doesn't have to tell me about her past until she's ready. Tommy, I know my history, okay? I'm not an idiot. But this isn't just another fling. She's… It's different." Sighing, he shakes his head helplessly, "Man, I'm falling for her."

Taken aback by his best friend's words, Tommy stares at him with a critical eye, trying to tell if he's being sincere. Deciding that he seems serious, Tommy lets out a dejected sigh and moves over to the office's sitting area, plopping down in one of the plush leather chairs. "Dammit." After a few seconds, Oliver follows the other man's actions and sits down on the opposite chair. He drags a hand down his face in frustration. "Why her? Out of every single woman out there pining for you, why Felicity? Why did she have to be my client? The one thing that -"

Oliver's brows draw together when he suddenly cuts himself off. "The one thing that what?"

"The one thing that I have that isn't tainted by _you!"_ Silence surrounds them as the best friends hold each other's surprised eyes before Tommy breaks it, quick to apologize, "I didn't mean that."

"It sounded like you did."

"I -" he pauses, searching for the right words to explain what he's been holding in for years. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out the way it sounded. I just… Merlyn Music Management is the one thing - the _one thing_ \- I have that's mine. Not my dad's, not yours. Mine. I've gotten used to living in people's shadows, and I'm okay with it. Yeah, people've always known who I am, but they've also known me as Malcolm Merlyn's son. Or Oliver Queen's best friend. Which I'm happy to be known as - you know I love you, man. But sometimes it just becomes too much, y'know?"

He takes Oliver's silence as a chance to continue, "When we were growing up, it was always you and Laurel, and then me. Then you changed and decided to go to school, and it was just me. And we both know my dad has always wished you were his son instead. But this company… I built this. I found the band, and _I_ helped them become famous. _I_ found Felicity. I guess the thought of you taking that from me kinda freaked me out."

Taking in the other man's words, Oliver really thinks about what he's saying. He isn't exactly wrong. While both had been well known by the tabloids growing up, Oliver always tended to have a flare for being more... rebellious? dramatic? - he isn't sure exactly how to describe it, but he was more frequently on the covers of magazines. And sadly, it's no secret that Malcolm always had a soft spot for Oliver, especially once he decided to get his shit together and go to school. And in high school, he was an ass. He knew that Tommy had a thing for Laurel but went after her anyway. He always suspected those feelings never truly went away.

For the longest time, all Oliver cared about was himself. But he thought that he changed - how could he not notice how his best friend was feeling all these years? He breathes in deeply, an ache forming deep in his chest, "Tommy, why have you never said anything? I'm sorry that I've been making you feel like this for…"

"No," he is quick to object, leaning forward slightly in his chair, "This isn't your fault, Ollie. You didn't do anything wrong. This is my problem, I don't know - can guys have daddy issues?"

Oliver huffs a laugh at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood, "If not, I think our fathers invented it."

"Yeah," Tommy chuckles along with him before slowly sobering. He meets his eyes, "I'm sorry, Oliver. For how I acted, for what I said, for… Everything."

"Me too. I should've been honest with you from the beginning. It's just, this thing with Felicity… I don't wanna mess this up. It's real with her. She's… She's remarkable."

After a few seconds, a large grin tugs up the corners of his mouth at the pure sincerity in his friend's eyes. "Man, I'm gonna have so much fun giving you guys shit for this. Dude, you are so whipped!"

He shrugs, smiling against his will at the thought of his girlfriend - _girlfriend._ He'll never get tired of calling her that. "Yeah. I'm not even gonna deny it."

Shaking his head with a laugh, Tommy stands and pulls the other man into a hug once he follows suit, patting a hand against his back, "I'm still not 100% liking this, but I can tell that you're happy. And Felicity is too, I can see it. She's different since coming to Starling. Just don't hurt her, Ollie."

"I won't," he promises, returning his best friend's hug for the first time in way too long.

* * *

Reading over a possible contract with a new liquor distributor he is considering switching to, Oliver shifts in the stool he sits in at the bar of Verdant. Since going to Tommy's office yesterday, he's felt a considerable weight lifted from his chest knowing they are back on good terms and has been able to focus back on work. Just after turning the page, he hears the door open followed by the light thumping of heels against the floor. Figuring it's his resident bartender, he doesn't even turn around before speaking, "Sara, I know that you don't like Damien, but I already told you he's working tonight. For once in your life, take the night off when I give it to you."

"Not Sara," the older Lance sister replies sheepishly causing him to lift his head and swivel around.

His brows raise slightly in surprise, "Laurel. Hey."

"Hey," she smiles sweetly.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Oliver stands and takes a few steps closer to the brunette, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "So… What's up?"

Laurel raises a hand to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear, "I just wanted to clear the air after the other day when I came over. I didn't… Obviously, I didn't know you were seeing someone."

"Yeah," he clears his throat. "Laurel, I'm really sorry that you had to find out like that. I didn't realize that you still felt that way about me, or about us. "

Her eyes cast towards the floor to stare at her boots, "I didn't realize that you _didn't_ feel that way about us anymore."

Taking another step closer to her, Oliver places a hand to her arm, encouraging her to tilt her chin up and meet his eyes. "You know how much I care about you, Laurel. At this point, I just think that we're better off as friends. We're toxic together. We've hurt each other so many times."

She closes the distance between them, lifting a palm to his cheek, "That doesn't mean we aren't meant to be, Ollie. I love you."

"I love someone else," he admits, surprising himself with how easily the word falls from his tongue. Did he really just say that? He did, without even having to think about it. And it's at this exact moment when he realizes that he is in love with Felicity Smoak. Despite the fact that they haven't been dating long and that there are so many things he doesn't know about her, he is completely in love with her. He can't explain it, he just… He knows that this is real and unlike anything he's ever felt before.

Laurel is stunned into silence by his declaration, her hand slowly falling from his face and back to her side. Guilt floods through him at the hurt evident in her watery green eyes, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's -" she takes a step back and clears her throat. "It's okay. It's my own fault, really. I ruined this."

"No, Laurel. We just… We grew apart. It happens." He tilts his chin down to try and meet her eyes again, "You have to stop blaming yourself for everything that's happened."

She lifts her head and offers a weak smile, "I'm trying."

After a few seconds of silence, he sends her a genuine smile, "I'm really proud of you for going to meetings."

"Thanks. It's been hard but… I still have too much to lose." At the happiness she reads on his face, her own brightens, "I'm going back to law school in September. I'm only a few credits short of graduating."

"That's amazing, Laurel."

She nods slowly, tucking another strand of hair behind her ear. "Felicity… She seems great. I hope you're happy with her, truly."

His features soften at the genuineness of her voice, "Thank you. You'll be okay, Laurel. You're one of the strongest people I know."

Laurel smiles again and opens her mouth to speak before the door to the club opens once again, and she peers over her shoulder.

Two pairs of eyes land on Felicity walking through the door, sans Diggle, heels clacking against the floor. Her stride slows a bit when she lifts her chin, brows drawing together slightly before a mask of indifference is put in place. She plasters a smile on her face as she nears them, eyes bouncing between the two, "Hey. Laurel, right?"

"Hi Felicity," Laurel greets, shifting her stance more towards the other woman. "Well, I was just leaving." She takes a step towards Oliver and tugs him into a hug, savoring the feeling, knowing that this is truly the end of their relationship. After he gives her a squeeze in return, she pulls away. Turning back towards Felicity, she offers a smile, "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too," she returns the gesture, watching as the brunette passes by and walks out of Verdant. She doesn't turn back around until the door swings shut. "So… What was that about?" When he opens his mouth to respond, she quickly raises a hand to stop him, "And this is not me being jealous. This is just me being curious as to why your ex-girlfriend Gorgeous Laurel was here. Again, not jealous. Curious."

Oliver chuckles and takes a step closer to her, eyes drinking in her appearance. While they talked on the phone yesterday after his visit with Tommy, he hasn't seen her in almost 48 hours, which is just unacceptable. He places both hands on her hips, gently tugging her towards him as she peers up at him with an adorable pout on her bubblegum lips, "She just wanted to talk about our relationship. Get some closure, I guess." Leaning forward, he gives her a quick kiss without breaking eye contact, "Hi."

She sighs, circling her arms loosely around his neck, "Hi."

"You have nothing to worry about, Felicity," he assures at the hint of something deeper in her pools of blue. "Laurel and I are just friends."

"I know," she scoffs. He arches a brow at her as he tries to suppress a grin. "I'm not jealous."

"I know," he repeats.

Felicity narrows her eyes, fingers absentmindedly playing the short strands of hair at the base of his neck. She huffs, "Smartass." Chuckling, he leans forward and connects their mouths in another kiss, this time deepening it by swiping his tongue along her bottom lip. She opens her mouth to him, sighing against him and sinking further into his hold. After a few moments, they become deprived of oxygen and she pulls away. "So," she starts, eyes gazing up at him under thick lashes, "You texted?"

"Yeah," Oliver exhales, loosening his grip on her so that he can see her better. "My family helps throw this event every year, the Black & White Charity Gala. All the proceeds are donated to help the clinic in the Glades. It's in two weeks." Fluttering suddenly erupts in his stomach, and he feels like a teenager. Why is he so nervous about this? Maybe because now he is painfully aware of just how deep his feelings are for this woman. "Anyway, I was wondering if you would be my date. You can invite Nyssa and Roy, too."

Taking in his request, her eyes widen almost comically as she stammers, "Your family? As in your parents? You want me to meet your parents? But like, aren't they scary? I've heard they can be scary. What if they hate me? Oh god, your mother will hate me, Oliver."

"Hey." He runs his hands up and down her forearms to calm her down, "First of all, my mother will not hate you. Honestly, I didn't even think of it like that but technically, my parents will be there. They're not that bad, I promise." Felicity takes in a few deep breaths through her nose, heartrate beginning to settle back down.

"So… What d'you say?"

She takes another soothing breath, "Okay. Yeah, of course I'll be your date."

"Good," Oliver huffs a laugh and tugs her against his chest, wrapping her up in a hug.

After a few seconds, she breaks the comfortable silence between them, "But if your mother hates me, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Okay," he chuckles.

* * *

Stepping down the stairs of her building, Felicity tries to steady her bubbling nerves. She's not nervous because of the event - she can't even remember how many red carpets she's walked at this point. No. Tonight she is going to be meeting Oliver's _parents._ She hasn't met a guy's parents since… well, _ever._ The only relationship that ever even came close to being that important was Cooper and obviously, that had been a disaster. And she was with Cooper _way_ longer than she has been with Oliver. But something about Oliver is different; it's almost like it isn't real, but a fairytale. How can she have such strong feelings for him after so little time? How is that even possible? But somehow it is, if not by the way her heart skips a beat when her eyes land on him leaning against a town car dressed in an impeccable suit, legs crossed at the ankle and hands stuffed in his pockets as he waits for her.

As soon as he sees her, Oliver straightens his stance, his mouth falling open slightly. His eyes scan her entire body, taking in her tight, mermaid-style metallic gown. Her lavender hair is pinned loosely at the base of her skull, light waves framing her face and just barely skimming her bare shoulders. The dark pink of her lips and nails blend perfectly with the silver tones of her dress, in keep with the theme of tonight's event. He moves to shorten the distance between them, "Wow. You look beautiful, Felicity."

A small smile tugs up the corners of her mouth as she gazes up at him, "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, Mister Queen." She giggles at the groan he emits at the name before offering his arm and guiding her to their car for the evening.

After about a twenty-minute drive with Diggle following closely behind, their town car rolls to a stop in front of the Hochman Hotel where the Charity Gala is being held. Unsurprisingly, a red carpet is laid out from the entrance to the curb as dozens of paparazzi await the arrival of Starling City's elite. They're also, no doubt, aching to get the first picture of Felicity Smoak, suspecting that she will be accompanying Oliver ever since their relationship became public.

Reaching out for the handle, Oliver takes a breath in preparation before opening the door and stepping outside. He is immediately bombarded with flashes and calls of his name as he deftly buttons his suit jacket, turning back to offer Felicity his hand. She places her palm in his and he gives it a squeeze before helping her climb out of the car. The noise surrounding them gets significantly louder when the paparazzi see her, all shouting her name at once. Felicity smiles widely at the crowd, waving her fingers in hello.

Behind him, Oliver closes the door and wraps his left arm around Felicity's waist, tugging her against his side. She places her right hand in the middle of his back and her left arm loosely around his stomach, tilting her head to the side to gaze up at him to offer a small smile. He returns it before leading her towards the entrance to the hotel where Diggle is waiting with the event's security, eyes taking in the crowd and hand resting on his hip near where he keeps his gun.

Felicity tugs lightly on his waist causing him to stop and when he arches a brow in question, she rolls her eyes playfully before shifting in his embrace. She brings her left hand up to touch his shoulder and turns more into his embrace, peering back over her shoulder. Dozens of flash bulbs go off as she smirks lightly, appeasing the numerous requests for photographs. Understanding what she is doing, Oliver tugs her even closer and looks towards the cameras, palm splaying across her hip where he encircles her waist. After a good amount of time posing for pictures, he raises a hand in a wave and leads Felicity inside the hotel despite the protests from photographers.

Once they're inside, Diggle following them in a closing the door behind them to block out the noise, Oliver exhales. "Is it always like that when you go places?"

"You'll get used to it," Felicity pats her hand against his chest with a chuckle before venturing further inside, and he tries not to read too much into her casual mention of their future. Apparently, he is still incapable of masking his emotions when it comes to her, because he hears a huff from beside him and tilts his head to find Diggle shaking his own, laughing to himself. Oliver shoots him a glare before following his girlfriend, slipping his hand into hers and lacing their fingers. She meets his eyes and sends him a small smile.

As they walk throughout the ballroom, Oliver greets a few older couples that are friends of his parents and a few of his socialite classmates here and there, some of the younger guests doing a slight double take of his date. None of the people he sees are important enough to introduce her to, though. The further the move inside, the more Felicity starts to bubble with nerves in anticipation of meeting the Queens and he can feel it coming off her in waves, giving her hand a tight squeeze in reassurance.

Felicity calms a bit at that, and even more at the sight of her friends approaching, unable to help but notice how well they complement each other. "Nyssa, Sara. You both look incredible."

"So do you," Sara offers with a smile, "Hey Ollie."

"Sara," he greets.

"So," Felicity's eyes dart between the two women before she waggles her brows suggestively, "What's goin' on here?"

Nyssa rolls her eyes at her long-time friend, "Sara invited me as her date since Roy decided to ditch me."

"And because I'm way hotter than him," Sara jokes, lips curving into a smirk.

The group chuckles and a grin tugs up the corners of Felicity's mouth at the idea of her friends becoming something more than that to each other: they would be the perfect match. "Well, I'm glad it worked out."

Meeting her eyes, she and Nyssa share a knowing smile before the latter speaks, "We're going to get some drinks. We'll see you guys later?" The couple nods and watches as the two women walk towards the open bar hand in hand.

Disentangling their fingers, Felicity moves her hand up to the crook of Oliver's elbow, bringing the other up as well to cling onto him as she stares after them. "They're cute together."

"Yeah," he agrees with a soft smile, "Sara deserves to be happy after everything that's happened with her family this year."

Felicity opens her mouth to speak but freezes, her eyes widening before she turns into his embrace, instead staring over his shoulder. "Oh my god, your parents are here."

Eyes searching the crowd, they land on the remaining members of the Queen family standing together across the room. A light chuckle bubbles past his lips at her reaction and he rubs both hands up and down her bare arms, "Relax, ok? They're with Thea. You'll be fine." Shaking her slightly so she'll meet his eyes, he sends her his best attempt at a reassuring smile, "They'll love you. Trust me."

She inhales sharply at the intensity behind his words before forcing herself to break eye contact, taking in a deep breath and nodding her head. "Okay. Yeah, it'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen, right?"

"That's the spirit."

She shoots him a look before settling her palm in the crook of his elbow and breathing in deeply once more. Oliver leads her through the crowd of impeccably dressed socialites towards his family, meeting Thea's eyes once they get closer.

"Ollie, Felicity!" Thea greets with a wide smile, pushing through her parents and stepping towards the couple, her white lacy gown trailing behind her. Ignoring her older brother, she immediately envelops Felicity into a tight hug causing the other woman to laugh.

"Hi Thea."

When they separate, Oliver arches a brow, "What am I, chopped liver?"

Thea rolls her eyes but tugs him into a hug nonetheless, "Hello, Ollie."

He grins, "Speedy." His eyes connect with Moira's over his sister's shoulder and he pulls away, settling his arm around Felicity's waist as Thea moves to the side. Oliver takes a step forward, tugging her along with him as she chews on her bottom lip nervously. "Mom," his eyes flit towards his father and he clenches his jaw slightly, wanting to remain civil for his sister's sake, "Dad. This is my girlfriend, Felicity Smoak."

Tamping down her nerves, Felicity offers the older couple a smile as Robert comes to stand beside his wife, resting a hand on her back. "It's really nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Queen. Oliver's told me a lot about you both."

"Yes well, I wish I could say the same," Moira replies with a smile in the way only Moira Queen can.

She doesn't know how to respond, tilting her chin to look at Oliver, who is barely managing not to glare at his mother before he speaks. "Well, I didn't want to brag."

Felicity tries and fails to suppress a smile - she isn't offended in the least, she knows that his relationship with his parents has been strained lately.

"I did! I totally bragged," Thea gushes, trying to lighten the mood.

Robert offers a grim smile, "It's nice to finally meet one of Oliver's girlfriends. Usually, he doesn't bother to introduce them."

Seeing the way Oliver's jaw clenches and his hands close into fists, Felicity warps one hand around his arm and brings the other to rest on his chest. "Clearly, they weren't worth his time," she teases.

Moira chuckles, "No, they were not." She observes Felicity with a critical eye, the younger woman refusing to squirm under her gaze. "My daughter tells me you're a singer? I believe I recognize you from a magazine article here or there."

"Yeah, I am. Uh, Tommy is actually the manager for my band - _City in Smoke?"_

"Mom, they're amazing. Remember, they performed at my party for free?" Thea interjects.

Moira nods, "Yes, that was very kind of you."

"It was nothing," Felicity brushes off but can't fight the light blush that colors her cheeks at the compliment, especially coming from Moira Queen, "Thea's a friend."

"Still," she offers a small, thankful smile.

The easy conversation continues until Robert notices something over his son's shoulder and speaks up, "If you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

"Oh, um," Felicity exchanges a glance with Oliver before smiling awkwardly at the older man, who has otherwise remained silent for most of their encounter. "It was nice meeting you, Mister Queen."

Robert nods, "Likewise." He runs his hand along Moira's arm before moving around his son and into the crowd. Oliver turns to look over his shoulder to see who his father is going to talk to when he freezes, his entire body tensing at the sight in front of him. Isabel. His father's assistant, his father's _mistress_ had the nerve to show up to an event where his entire family is - hell, they helped plan the damn thing.

He watches as Robert leads Isabel off to the side of the room to talk quietly and from what he can tell, the conversation doesn't look too pleasant. Maybe Robert didn't know she would show up, Isabel probably thinking it wouldn't look suspicious considering she works at Queen Consolidated. Someone calls Robert's name from a few feet away and he briefly excuses himself from her. Seeing an opportunity, Oliver turns back to face the women talking around him, "I'll be right back."

He takes a step when a small hand tugs on his own, and he glances down to see Felicity staring at him with wide eyes. "Where are you going?" she whispers, "You can't leave me here."

"I just have to handle something. It won't take long, I promise." Oliver gently runs both hands along her arms to rest on her shoulders and leans forward, placing a kiss to her forehead before walking away and leaving her with his mother and sister.

Pushing his way through the crowd, his eyes zero in on Isabel. As he nears her, she finally tears her eyes away from where they'd been fixed on Robert and a smirk tugs up the corners of her mouth. "Oliver, hello. It's been a while, how are y -"

Her words are cut off as he wraps his hand around her wrist and pulls her through an archway, out of the main ballroom and into a hallway. Isabel yanks her arm out of his grasp. He glares down at her, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, you see, this is a charity gala thrown in part by the Queen family. The Queen family, as I'm sure you're aware, owns Queen Consolidated, where a substantial amount of donated money comes from. I am the executive assistant to the CEO; therefore, I must attend these events. For the company," her smirk grows, as if she thinks she 'won'.

Oliver narrows his eyes, "You have no right to be here. My mother is here; my _sister_ is here. Leave before I have security _make_ you leave."

"Robert wants me here."

He scoffs, "It didn't look like it. My father is a fool; he is too blinded by - I don't even know - to see you for who you are. Do you think he would still be with you if he knew that you tried to sleep with me _during_ your affair with him?"

"Are you threatening me?" she challenges and when he doesn't answer, she shakes her head. Isabel tilts her chin up to meet his eyes, her seemingly permanent smirk returning to her face. "Oliver, that really is no way to speak to the mother of your baby brother or sister."

At her words, he freezes, his blood running cold through his veins. _No…_ "What?" he grits out between clenched teeth.

"Don't look so upset, Oliver," she pats a hand against his cheek before taking a slight step back and dropping the hand to her middle, placing it gently over the black fabric covering her flat stomach. "You're going to be a big brother again." After a few seconds of letting him absorb the new information, she moves around him and back inside the ballroom, calling over her shoulder, "Enjoy the rest of your night."

Oliver stands in place, his mind reeling. _What. The. Hell. Just. Happened?_


	15. Chapter 14

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Felicity gulps heavily, trying desperately not to start babbling like an idiot and embarrass herself in front of Moira. Although Thea is standing next to her, she still feels extremely nervous and uncomfortable, trying to peer over her shoulder and search for Oliver as discretely as possible. He's been gone for almost ten minutes already, having disappeared into the crowd. Luckily, her eyes land on a different familiar figure and they light up at the opportunity to escape. She tilts her head back towards the other two women, "Mrs. Queen, it was really nice meeting you, but I actually just saw Tommy and…"

Moira nods, the corners of her mouth tugging up slightly in amusement, "Of course."

The younger woman returns a thankful smile of her own and reaches out a hand to grab Thea's, giving it a light squeeze before releasing it and spinning on her heels, the bottom of her silver dress flowing around her feet as she moves. Eyes once again finding Tommy among the sea of people, she pushes her way through the crowd until she is close enough to place a hand on his shoulder.

At the feel of a hand against him, Tommy peers over his shoulder and smiles when he sees his client before turning to face her fully. "Felicity, hey," he greets.

"Hey," she breathes out, eyes now searching the room for her missing boyfriend, "Have you seen Oliver?"

"Nope," he shakes his head lightly, popping the 'p' sound and drawing his brows together. "Wasn't he with you?"

"Well, he _was._ Then he ditched me and left me alone with his terrifying mother, so now I'm out for blood."

Tommy barks out a laugh, only chuckling more at the glare she sends his way. "So, you met the rest of the Queens? How'd that go?"

Her glare lessens, a nervous look coloring her features as her fingers fiddle with each other loosely in front of her stomach. "I don't know. I've never exactly met a guy's parents before…"

Tommy sends her a soft smile and places a gentle hand on her forearm, "Hey. I'm sure it was fine." She gives him a stiff nod and he tilts his head forward slightly, "It's cute, y'know - how much you like him."

"Shut up," she shoves against his chest at his teasing and he laughs, raising his hands in defense. Over his shoulder, Felicity catches sight of Oliver just as he enters the ballroom through an archway, a stern expression on his face. "Ah, there he is. I'll see you later." Tommy just nods as she walks around him before she stops and says his name, causing him to turn around with a brow raised in question. She takes a step back towards him, "I just wanted to make sure you know that no matter what happens between me and Oliver, you will _always_ be my manager. Tommy, without you, I wouldn't be half of what I am today. I would never abandon that. _Ever."_

Staring at her, he clears the sudden emotion clogging his throat and blinks his eyes quickly, "Yeah, I know."

"Good, because you can't get rid of me that easily Tommy Merlyn." Sending him one last smirk and a wink, Felicity spins on her heels and heads towards her boyfriend.

* * *

Felicity eyes Oliver carefully as he loosens his tie and takes it off, slipping out of his suit jacket and draping both articles of clothing across the kitchen counter. She finishes stepping out of her heels and sighs, "Okay, what's wrong?" After she'd found him at the gala, they didn't have a chance to really talk before the charity auction began, and they barely even stayed long enough to see that through - he wanted to leave as soon as the last item was sold. The entire car ride back to her building was silent and she practically had to drag him inside the elevator to ride up to her apartment.

Oliver tilts his head towards her and shrugs a shoulder, "Nothing."

She places a hand on her hip, cocking a knee and arching a brow at him, "You're a terrible liar."

His eyes soften and the corner of his mouth twitches, "Only to you." When she only continues to stare unamused, Oliver sighs and drags a hand down his face before closing the distance between them, entwining their fingers and pulling her towards one of the couches. Once they're settled next to each other, he leans his elbows on his knees and rubs his eyes. Felicity angles her body towards him and waits for him to start explaining, placing a comforting hand on the middle of his back. Finally, he takes a deep breath a speaks without lifting his head, "My dad is having an affair with his secretary."

Her mouth falls open slightly in shock, her brows raising, "What?"

Sitting up straighter, he settles against the white cushions, "I caught them together a few months ago. Apparently, it's been going on for over a year."

"Oliver, I'm so sorry. What about your mom?"

He lets out a humorless chuckle, "That's the part that's so messed up – she's known about it longer than I have, and she's still with him. And now Thea told me she thinks she overheard our dad talking to a divorce lawyer. _He's_ gonna leave _her."_

"Oliver," she exhales his name, brows furrowed in sympathy. "So, what happened tonight? I know that something upset you."

"She was there – Isabel. At the gala, she was there."

Something clicks in her mind, "The woman with the brown hair and the black dress."

"Yeah," he nods. For the first time during their entire conversation, Oliver tilts his head and meets her eyes, his own full of something: sadness, confusion, hurt - she isn't sure. "Felicity, she's pregnant. My _father_ got another woman pregnant."

Felicity's face softens as she watches his crumble and she wraps her hand around his where it rests on his thigh, "I don't… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." She thought Robert had seemed kind of horrible earlier tonight but wow, is he a piece of work.

"It's okay," his mouth ticks up lightly, "I'm not always the best at… expressing my emotions, so the fact that you're here means everything."

She returns a smile and narrows her eyes, thinking over something for a few seconds before making a decision and rising to her feet. "Wait here," she commands before scooping up the bottom of her dress and moving towards her bedroom, bare feet padding softly against the hardwood floors. Oliver eyes her retreating form curiously, wondering what her reasoning was behind the abrupt change in conversation. He had just opened up to her a lot and then she just… gets up and leaves? He relaxes further back into the couch and starts to pass the time by unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves and rolling the fabric up his arm a couple times.

After several minutes waiting for her, he is about to go see what she is doing when she rounds the corner and walks back into the main living room. Gone is the shimmery, skintight dress, instead replaced by a pair of grey sleep shorts and a loose plaid shirt. His brows draw together in wonder at the small black box in her hands as she closes the distance between them and sits cross-legged beside him.

Felicity stares blankly down at the box in her lap, bottom lip tugged between her teeth. Inhaling deeply, she removes the lid and sets it down on the glass coffee table, her breath stuttering when her eyes land on the contents of the box. His curiosity overtakes him and Oliver scoots himself closer to her, eyes peeking inside to find dozens of photographs. "I don't," she breaks the silence that surrounded them, "I've never showed these to anyone before but… Since the moment we met, I've felt like I could trust you. I don't know why."

"I think I just have one of those faces," he teases, trying to lessen the tension a little. His face softens when she doesn't react and he wraps a hand around one of her wrists, "Hey. Whatever it is, you can show me."

She nods slightly and after taking in another deep breath, she reaches inside and grabs one of the pictures before handing it over to him. The corners of his mouth tick up as he looks at the picture of a man and a little girl playing outside, him pushing her on a swing. She looks to be about four or five, with the widest smile on her face. He brushes his thumb across it, "You look cute with pigtails."

"It's not me," Felicity supplies quickly, a knot forming in her throat. He raises his chin, brows furrowed in confusion. "The man," she clears her throat, "The man in the photo… His name is Noah Cuttler. And the girl, Ellie… She's my half-sister." His eyes widen and they fly back down to the photo, really looking at it. He notices that the little girl is missing Felicity's freckles, and her eyes aren't nearly as blue.

Reaching back into the box, she takes out another photo, this one of the little girl with a woman – presumably her mother. "That's my father's wife, Jenna. They also have an twelve-year-old son named Michael and twin baby boys, Andrew and Jacob."

"Where did you get these?"

"The private investigator I hired last year. He took them." She laughs humorlessly, eyes clouding with tears, "Dozens of pictures. I have _dozens_ of pictures of them, and not even one of me and my father. I don't even know why I kept them; they just sit in this box, collecting dust at the back of my closet. But I can't – I _can't_ get rid of them."

Oliver looks to her with sympathetic eyes before placing the picture back in the box and grabbing it from her lifeless hands, setting it on the table and moving until their bodies are flush against each other. He grabs both of her hands in his, "Felicity, I am so sorry."

"I don't know why I'm surprised. He walked out almost twenty years ago, of course he moved on with his life. But seeing it… hurts. It hurts so much," she chokes out a sob and shakes her head when he tries to comfort her. "It's not a coincidence that I chose to move to Starling. Noah's family lives in Ivy Town. It's an hour away."

He lifts a palm to her cheek and brushes away a falling tear with the pad of his thumb, his heart breaking for her and a sudden rage bubbling up from deep inside his stomach at this man for daring to hurt her. "You want to see him?"

"Yes," she says without thought but then closes her eyes, shaking her head. "No. I don't know. I just have so many questions, y'know?" She sighs, tilting her chin towards him with pleading eyes. "Why did he leave; why didn't he ever come try and find me? What is so different about _them?_ What do they have that I don't, that made him stay?"

Thinking about how to respond for a few seconds, Oliver squeezes her hand where its held in his against her lap, "I wish that I had the answers for you, and I wish that you could get them without having to see him. Truthfully, I wish you could see what I see when I look at you so that you wouldn't have these questions, wish you could see how remarkable you are, Felicity."

Her eyes soften at his words and she gulps at the emotion fluttering inside her stomach, smiling as best she can before he continues. "But I can't answer those questions. And I'm not sure if you'll ever be able to move on with your life until you get them."

Felicity tilts her chin down to stare at their hands, her fingers absentmindedly playing with his. "So, you think I should go see him?"

"I think," he brings his hand up to her face, brushing his fingers through her hair and forcing her to look up at him, "That you should do whatever it takes to get the closure you deserve."

She thinks over his words carefully, enjoying the feeling of him twirling a loose strand of lavender hair around his finger. She sighs and tries to lighten the mood, a smile quirking up the corners of her lips, "I know my hair is amazing, but I actually dye it. Don't tell anyone."

Oliver barks out a laugh at her joke, his head falling back, and she joins him with a few chuckles of her own. When their laughs die down, he stares at her with a soft smile and desperately tries to hold back the words at the tip of his tongue, begging to be said out loud. _I love you._ He holds them in, knowing that right now wouldn't be the right time. Instead, he tugs on her hand and starts moving back towards the armrest of the couch to lay down, "C'mere."

She follows his lead and settles horizontally between the cushions and his body, head resting against his shoulder and her arm wrapped tightly around his sculpted chest. He circles and arm around her waist, the other raising rubbing up and down her back, the skin warm against his through the thin fabric of her shirt. They fall into a comfortable silence and the emotional night takes its toll on her as she can't stop her eyes from fluttering shut. Once Felicity's breathing finally evens out, Oliver peers down at her face, relaxed as she sleeps peacefully. She is so beautiful and he can't resist saying what he's been dying to say for weeks, whispering into the quietness of her apartment. "I love you."


	16. Chapter 15

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_** _ **.**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

Groaning as a ray of light streams perfectly through the gap in the curtains and right on her face, Felicity scrunches up her nose and rolls to her other side expecting to collide with a large body. She is surprised, however, when her outstretched arm falls limply on cold sheets. Her brows draw together and she opens one eye to confirm the bed is indeed empty, opening the other and sitting up on an elbow. Looking around her messy bedroom – she really needs to clean – and spotting her gown hanging on the closet door, the events of last night come rushing back to her. Suddenly, her body feels heavy and she flops down on her back, staring at the ceiling. Never in her life has she opened up that much to someone, let alone someone she was dating. It scares her to death knowing that someone else holds all this information about her, about her life and her feelings. But it also sends a warmth through her chest at the knowledge that she can trust someone as much as she trusts Oliver, and that he trusts her just as much. It feels like last night was something important for them, like they got to know each other on a new, deeper level, and that means everything to her.

The smell of coffee and bacon wafts through the open door of her bedroom and she sits up straight, throwing the sheets off and swinging her legs over the side of the bed in time with the grumbling of her stomach. Felicity makes her way out of her room and immediately smiles when the kitchen comes into view. She remembers talking and laying on the couch, where she must've fallen asleep before Oliver carried her to bed. And now he stands at the stove shirtless, a pair of sweatpants he'd left here hanging low on his hips. The sight of him with hair messy from sleep, looking so casual and comfortable in her apartment makes her insides tingle and flutter.

Oliver notices her out of the corner of his eye and sends her a smile, taking the final pieces of bacon off the pan and setting them on the plate beside him. "Morning."

"Morning," she greets with a yawn, sliding into a stool and leaning her forearms on the counter. The corners of her mouth tick up as she takes him in, "So, now you're making _me_ breakfast?"

He chuckles, "Yeah, except I won't almost burn down the entire building."

"Hey! It was a small fire and I put it out quickly," she defends herself, only causing him to laugh more at the memory as he hands her a mug of coffee - just the way she likes it - before leaning over and giving her a kiss. When Oliver tries to pull away, she lifts a hand to the back of his neck and pulls him back, smiling against his mouth.

A few more seconds go by before she relents, letting him go and settling back in her chair. Felicity holds her mug to her lips, watching as he moves to grab the plate of bacon and set it on the counter between where she sits and he stands. She reaches forward and snatches a crispy piece, enjoying the crunch it makes as she bites into it. "So," she pauses to consider her words, "Last night was… intense."

He lifts his chin and takes in her face, trying to decipher if maybe she wasn't actually asleep when he'd whispered those three words last night. When her expression gives nothing away, he treads carefully as he takes a sip of his own coffee. "That's… one word to describe it. It felt good to open up to someone, talk about my fucked-up family," he finishes with a huff and a shake of his head.

Felicity scoffs and shoots him a sarcastic smile, "We should start a club."

Realizing that if she had heard him last night she probably would've said something by now, Oliver exhales a slight sigh of relief.

She shakes her head lightly and tilts her chin down, staring at the mug wrapped up in her hands, "But you're right. It did feel good." Sending him another smile, she tilts her head, "What are you gonna do about your dad and his pregnant mistress?"

"I have no idea. I mean, I have to tell my mom. Right?"

"Are you sure she doesn't already know? Hasn't she known about the affair for a while now?"

He sighs, "Yeah, but… My mother is a very complicated woman. She won't divorce him because of Thea and because she doesn't want anything to affect our family's image, but I don't think she would stay with him while some other woman has his love-child. That would be more damaging to her reputation than a divorce."

"That makes sense… I guess…" Her nose scrunches up, "I don't know, I stopped caring about what people think about me a long time ago."

"You shouldn't care what anyone says about you; you're amazing." He grins as she rolls her eyes, taking another bite of her bacon. "I'm going to have to talk to my dad first, figure out what he's planning to do – if he's going to leave, if he's going to file for divorce, if he's going to ignore Isabel and hope she goes away… I can't let him hurt Thea like this; she still sees him as her superhero."

Felicity's lips curl into a sympathetic smile and she reaches a hand to rest on his forearm, "I'm sorry that your dad is putting you through this; you don't deserve it." Opening his mouth, he is about to respond when she peers over his shoulder and gasps, her mouth falling open and her eyes widening. "Frack! Is that really the time?"

Glancing at a clock, he nods, "Yeah, it's almost 10."

"Frack! Frack, frack, frack," she gulps down the rest of her coffee, nearly burning her tongue off, before hopping off the stool and running to her room, calling back over her shoulder, "I'm supposed to be at a photoshoot in fifteen minutes! Tommy is gonna kill me! Frack, frack, frack!"

Hearing her trip while frantically trying to get dressed, Oliver can't help but chuckle as he brings the mug to his lips. He arches a brow when she stumbles out of her room in a mismatching outfit, trying to slip on a pair of sneakers. A grin tugs up the corners of his mouth as she pulls her messy hair back into a ponytail before grabbing a handful of bacon and jogging towards the door. About halfway there, she pauses and turns back around, closing the distance between them by jumping slightly onto the counter, enough to lean over and give him a quick peck on the lips. "Bye!" she calls out as she runs back towards the door, closing it loudly behind her. Oliver shakes his head with a laugh, thinking about how he could get used to mornings like this.

* * *

The feeling of light kisses on her stomach wakes Sara up from a peaceful sleep and she stretches, her muscles aching in the best way. She opens her eyes and exhales, smiling at the brunette that is making her way up her body. After the gala last night, Sara invited Nyssa up to her apartment for a drink, which turned into two, which turned into kissing, which turned into, well… Sara isn't new to the game of one night stands and casual flings - it's what she is best at - but she can't remember the last time she felt so connected to someone so quickly. She is gorgeous and sassy, with a dry humor and sarcasm that makes her laugh.

Reaching the other woman's lips, Nyssa connects their mouths in a kiss before pulling away and settling beside her, laying on her side so they are facing each other. 'Good morning, love."

"Morning," Sara hums, draping an arm over her waist and pulling her closer. "Last night was… Great. I'm glad I decided to invite you upstairs."

"I'm glad I said yes," she retorts causing the blonde to chuckle. "And while I enjoyed last night and enjoy spending time with you, I should warn you that I'm not looking for anything serious. I'm only staying in town until we finish recording our new album and then I'm going back to New York. And then we'll probably have a tour; going from city to city, state to state. With my schedule I just don't -"

"Hey," Sara interrupts with a laugh, "Relax. I get it, I'm not one those clingy girls who thinks we're gonna get married because we hooked up. I'm not looking for anything serious either. I mean, I'm a bartender. But I think that we get along, we have fun together," she smirks, "We have great sex." Nyssa chuckles but lets her continue. "This doesn't have to be a huge thing. It's casual."

"Casual," she confirms with a nod. As she starts to lean forward, she pauses, "Let's not tell Felicity about this for as long as possible. She'll make a big deal out of it, and I really don't want to hear her say 'I told you so'. They're her four favorite words."

Sara laughs - in the short time she has known Felicity, she's noticed how much the other woman loves to be right - and nods, "Deal." She leans in, brushing their noses together before connecting their lips, smiling against each other. Suddenly, she wraps her arms tight around Nyssa's waist and spins them so that she lays on top of her, both women falling into a fit of laughs as they peel off what little clothing they wore to bed.

* * *

"Hello? Mom? Thea?" Oliver calls out as he closes the front door to his childhood home behind him, making sure that the lack of cars did indeed mean no one in his family was home. After Felicity left earlier that morning, he finished breakfast and cleaned up before heading back to his own apartment to change, not thinking it was the best idea to show up at his house in last night's clothes. He is glad that no one turned out to be home; he knows that he needs to tell his mother about what Isabel told him but first, he needs more information. The sound of soft footsteps makes him turn to peer over his shoulder, sighing in relief at the woman walking towards him. "Hi Raisa."

"Mister Oliver," she greets with a warm smile, framing his cheeks with her soft hands. "What brings you home?"

He returns her smile easily, pushing down the aching feeling he gets whenever he lies to the woman who helped raise him, "I was looking for something at my apartment and couldn't find it, so I thought I'd check my old room."

Raisa eyes him, always able to tell when he wasn't being completely truthful ever since he was a little boy, lying about sneaking cookies from the cookie jar before dinner. However, he is an adult now and with everything going on with his family, which she obviously knows every detail of, she knows that he must have a good reason to keep the truth from her. After a few seconds, she seems to accept his answer and nods, "If you need anything, I will be in the kitchen preparing dinner."

Oliver sighs, knowing that she knows he is lying but is letting it go, "Thank you, Raisa."

She nods and tilts her chin to the side, "You should come by more often, bring that new woman of yours. I must meet her."

"Felicity," he smiles at the thought of her, "I would love for you to meet her, Raisa. She's… incredible."

"Well, she must be something special to be worthy enough for you," Raisa palms his cheek again, love shining in her eyes. No matter what, she's always seen the best in him.

Offering one last smile, he watches until she disappears into the other room before making a beeline in the opposite direction of the stairs, towards his father's office. Pausing when his hand closes around the handle, he closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath before twisting it and pushing the door open. Oliver takes in the empty office and gently closes the door behind him, making his way towards Robert's desk. The top is organized, neat stacks of paper having to do with QC littering the dark wood. His father's office is the only room in the entire mansion that no staff is allowed inside - no one at all, really - so Robert keeps it clean himself.

Not knowing where to start, Oliver cautiously starts looking through the piles on top just to make sure they aren't all related to the business, careful to put everything back into place. When he finds nothing of importance, he starts opening drawers. A packet of documents in the bottom drawer catches his eye and he takes it out, eyes skimming the page for important words.

 _Paternity. Trust fund. Security. Bank account. House. College._

His head starts spinning, thinking about what this would mean for his mother and Thea. Anger courses through his veins and he catches himself just as his hands start to fist, crumpling the edges of the papers. Quickly putting everything away, Oliver slams the drawer shut before making his way out of the office, trying to think of what he is going to do next.

* * *

Checking the time on her phone, Felicity sighs when she realizes she's only been on set for less than hour. Today she is doing a photoshoot with Ray Palmer for his new action movie featuring a song performed by her. Tommy and Ray's manager thought that it would be a good idea, a good opportunity to promote the movie. Unfortunately, Ray is a complete asshole. They've met previously a few times and every single time, he's hit on her. It was no different this time, even though he is well aware of her relationship status. Something about him bugs her, and not just the fact that he can't take no for an answer. He is so arrogant and while he is good looking, the cocky grin usually painted on his face is a major turn off.

"Having fun?" Diggle asks as he sidles up beside her, an amused glint in his eye.

Putting her phone away, Felicity sends him a glare, "No. This is torture."

He chuckles, "Oh c'mon, it can't be that bad."

"Digg. You know how much I can't stand Ray Palmer. So, yeah. Having to stand all up on him in sexy poses _is_ torture. I'd rather be water boarded."

Diggle barks out a laugh, "Trust me, you would not do well under torture."

"Hey," she reels back in offense, "I could hold up under torture. I'm great at keeping secrets. Nobody knows that I was obsessed with going to space camp when I was a kid." Her face falls, "Frack, I just told you. That doesn't count."

"Stick to singing," he advises with a smile, trying not to laugh at how adorable she is.

Felicity huffs, "Whatever. I'd be good under torture." Before he can respond, one of the assistants on the shoot calls her name, beckoning her to wardrobe. She groans, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," he chuckles as she shuffles away, shooting him a helpless look over her shoulder.

Two hours later and Felicity is thankful for the sunglasses she has Digg keep in the car, along with a spare outfit, as the hot sun nearly blinds her as soon as she steps outside. Foregoing the town car, Diggle and Felicity walk side by side down the streets of Starling City, her trusted bodyguard having promised to get her some coffee and a treat for surviving the photoshoot without hitting Ray Palmer even once. She smiles as she listens to the older man's story about Lyla and JJ, his wife and son, before she sees something across the street from the corner of her eye.

She freezes, her blood running cold and her face falling at the sight. She knows it's impossible but there he is, standing there clear as day. Lifting a hand, she pushes her sunglasses on top of her head and blinks through the harsh rays to get a better look before pausing again, brows drawing together in confusion. His figure is gone as quickly as it appeared, nowhere in sight among the people littering the sidewalks.

"Felicity?" Diggle says her name, on high alert of their surroundings after she abruptly stopped walking, "What's wrong?"

Felicity rubs her eyes as her heart starts beating again, exhaling in relief and blaming the image her mind conjured up on lack of sleep. She forces a smile and turns to Digg, flicking her sunglasses back down, "Nothing. Sorry, I just thought I saw someone I used to know."

He looks at her with skeptical eyes, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she chuckles and lightly hits his arm, "C'mon. You promised me a doughnut for not committing a felony, right?" Finally, he nods and continues heading in the direction of the coffee shop. Following, Felicity can't help but peer back over her shoulder one last time, skin tingling with the feeling that someone is watching her.


	17. Chapter 16

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is** ** _emily-betts_**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

 **trigger warning:** this chapter contains talk of stalking and domestic abuse

* * *

Felicity bites her nail, leg bouncing against the stool as she zones out. She can't stop thinking about the other day and who she saw on the street. She knows it wasn't real; it couldn't have been. It's impossible. But still, it's had her nerves bubbling ever since, unable to truly push the thoughts away. When she tried to go to sleep that night, his face flashed before her eyes every time she closed them – she hadn't slept a wink. She startles when a warm hand touches her wrist and blinks back to reality, "What?"

"Are you okay?" Sara asks from behind the bar, brows drawn together in concern at the faraway look in her friend's eyes.

She clears her throat, shaking her head lightly, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just zoned out."

"Are you sure? Because you looked… I don't know. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," she assures with a forced laugh before looking for anything to try and change the subject. Luck is apparently on her side today when something catches her eye and a smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth, "Enough about me; let's talk about _you._ Is that a hickey?"

Eyes widening, Sara's hand flies to the barely-visible mark on her neck, knowing exactly where it is. "No," she spits out.

Felicity chuckles, "It totally is! Who is it? Is it that hot, tall guy you were talking to last night? Or the curvy redheaded girl from Jitters that you were _totally_ flirting with?"

"It's – uh," she stutters, not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell the truth either, "Neither of them. You don't know her."

"So it's a 'her'? Oh, c'mon! I tell you about Oliver!"

Arching a brow, Sara crosses her arms over her chest, "You tell me information about Oliver that I _do not_ want to know. He's like my brother."

"Really? Is that why you tried to seduce him in high school?"

She looks to her in shock, affronted by her accusation, "I would never!" At the knowing expression on the other woman's face, she narrows her eyes, "I can't believe Ollie told you that. In my defense, I was a little tipsy and pissed at Laurel. I wanted revenge. And he totally would've done it if Tommy hadn't walked in!"

Laughing, she shakes her head, "Fine. Don't tell me who it is. At least tell me if you like her, or if it's just a fling."

Sara sighs, shrugging a shoulder, "I mean, yeah. She doesn't live here full-time so it is just a fling, but she… She makes me laugh. But like I said, she doesn't live here. I guess it just wasn't meant to be long-term. But if anything changed, you know that you'd be the first person I would tell, right?"

A small smile forms on her face, "Yeah, I know."

"And if there was anything that you wanted to tell me," Sara arches a brow, hinting at the earlier part of their conversation, "You know that I'm here."

She breathes in through her nose, swallowing down the guilt as she lies, "I'm fine. Promise." Before she can dwell too much on the heavy pit resting at the bottom of her stomach, she slides off the stool and grabs her bag off the counter, "But I do have to go. I have a meeting with Tommy and he gets all annoying when I'm late."

Sara chuckles, "Sounds like Tommy."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Thea pushes down the butterflies in her stomach. She has never felt like this in her life; she is _Thea freaking Queen._ She doesn't get nervous, at least not around boys. Being confident and secure, she always has the upper hand and can get a date within minutes. But this is different, and she has to give herself a few more seconds to mentally rehearse what she plans on saying. Opening the door to the recording studio labeled _Room 3,_ where Felicity had said her bandmate would be, she steps through the threshold, ears filling with the sounds of a strumming guitar. Her eyes land on Roy through the glass as she leans forwards against the case of her own brand-new guitar, watching him play for what feels like hours until he lifts his head and meets her gaze, an easy smile tugging at his lips.

Finishing the last few chords, Roy nods at the man working the soundboard to indicate a break before setting his guitar on its stand and taking off the oversized headphones. He stands and leaves the sound box, moving towards her with arched brows, "Thea Queen. Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, I mean," she shrugs casually, "I was in the neighborhood."

Chuckling, he moves towards the small loveseat tucked against the wall, waiting until she follows to sit down. "And how exactly did you know I was here? I mean, I knew you were a fan but…"

"Ha ha," Thea narrows her eyes at his teasing, barely managing to hold back a smile as she leans the guitar case against the wall beside the arm of the couch they now occupy. "I'm not stalking you, Felicity told me where I could find you. I was actually hoping that I could ask you for a favor."

"A favor? I don't know, Queen, I don't like doing stuff for free."

"You don't even know what it is," she challenges.

Roy lets out a genuine laugh at the sass in her tone, "Alright, alright. Hit me with it."

"Well," she takes in a breath and remembers what she practiced, "I've always wanted to play an instrument, ever since I was little and got laughed off the stage of my first piano recital. And since I clearly sucked at piano, I thought about learning to play guitar. And since, y'know, you're sort of a professional musician… I thought maybe you could like, give me lessons or something." She indicates over her shoulder, "I even brought my own guitar."

His growing smirk only widens, "Well how can I say no when you brought your own guitar. But, I would like something in return."

"Oh," Thea's smile falls slightly but she masks it, not wanting him to know she was hoping he would do it as a favor because he liked her. "I mean, I can pay you."

"A date."

A crinkle forms between her brows, "What?"

"Go on a date with me," he clarifies with a grin, "And I'll have you playing like a pro in no time."

The smile quickly returns to her lightly painted lips, and she arches a brow, "You drive a hard bargain, Harper. But I guess I'll accept your terms."

Roy extends a hand, "Well, then I guess we have a deal."

"I guess we do," she clasps her hand in his, shaking gently in agreement.

* * *

Oliver stares mesmerized by the bright color of his girlfriend's fingernails against his skin as her fingers draw random patterns on his bare chest, having settled back tucked into his side after pulling his discarded t-shirt over her head. She's been quiet for the last couple minutes – actually, since she got here, really. It was late when he got a text from her asking if he was home, considering lately he was at Verdant more often due to some changes with his vendors, and he quickly responded with an invite to come over. She got there in record time, making him think she might've already been on her way, and had made little conversation before basically jumping on him, ripping off his clothes and leading him upstairs. Three rounds later and here they lay, curled up in his warm bed, enjoying the quiet. But he begins to worry as the silence drags on, not knowing her to go this long without saying something, _anything,_ especially given the intent way she traces the black strokes of his tattoo.

"Hey," he calls her attention, dragging his fingertips across her cheek to brush the hair out of her face. "Are you okay?"

A few seconds go by before Felicity shuffles back a little so she can peer up at him with a small smile, but he can tell it's forced, "Perfect."

"Felicity," he chastises gently, grabbing her hand in his to halt its movements. Sitting up, he readjusts the sheets over his lap as he settles against the headboard, waiting until she is sitting up as well before speaking. "What's going on with you? The past couple days… You've been off."

"It's nothing," she answers immediately.

Grabbing both her hands in his, he rubs he thumbs slowly over her smooth skin, "Tell me. Whatever it is, you can trust me."

Felicity sighs, and the small smile that tugs at her lips is genuine this time, "I know." He waits for her to continue, knowing that she needs the time to gather her thoughts. "It's stupid; I don't want to bother you with it."

"I want you to bother me with it, no matter how stupid it is."

She stares at where their entwined hands rest on her lap for a few moments in complete silence before inhaling deeply, keeping her eyes down. "I think… A few times now over the past week, I could've sworn I saw someone following me."

Immediately, Oliver's body goes on alert, tensing as he straightens and tightens his hold on his hands, "What? Who?"

"I don't – I don't even think it was really him. It's just my mind playing tricks on me; it has to be," she shakes her head, almost as if she is trying to convince herself more than him.

"Him? 'Him' who?" he interrogates.

"My…," Felicity sighs and finally meets his eyes, "My stalker." Before he can ask any questions, she continues, "His name is Cooper. Cooper Seldon."

Oliver immediately recognizes the name, remembering Tommy asking if she 'told him about Cooper'. How could he not mention that this Cooper guy was Felicity's _stalker?_ How could he not mention that she even _had_ a stalker?

Pulling one of her hands from his, she uses it to tuck a fallen strand of bubblegum hair behind her ear. "But he wasn't always my stalker, he… I thought I loved him."

He reels at that information, blinking at her with wide, questioning eyes, but he doesn't say anything; this is her time to say whatever it is she needs to say.

"Before I met Tommy, before I even came to California, I lived in Boston. I spent a semester at MIT on a scholarship studying computer science, and that's where I met Cooper. We were in the same program and he was cute, and nice, and we immediately started dating. It got serious and I thought… I don't know what I thought. I've always been wary of relationships, but I liked him. I guess I thought I loved him, or that I could love him. Things were good between us, but then… I don't know why, but something in him changed. He became aggressive and controlling, demanding and jealous of anyone I spent time with. After I realized he wasn't going to stop, I broke up with him and… And he didn't take it well.

He started… He started following me. I would leave class and he'd be there, I'd go to the library or the local coffee shop, and he'd be there. When I would hang out with my friends, he'd be there. He started sending me things, _creepy_ things, like dead flowers and cut up stuffed animals. I tried to ignore it, but it got to a point where I was afraid to leave my apartment, knowing that wherever I went, _he_ would be there. And then I didn't even feel safe at home because… Because I would come home and things would be moved, subtly shifted or misplaced."

Felicity's voice hitches, the unshed tears in her eyes clogging her throat. After a minute or two go by in silence, Oliver finally decides to speak up, having to clear the emotion from his own throat. "If… If this guy is here, following you again, we need to go to the police." She closes her eyes, vigorously shaking her head and he squeezes her hand in reassurance, "Felicity, they can help."

"No, they can't, because it's not him."

"Felicity –"

"—It's not him, Oliver!"

He slams his mouth shut at her outburst and pauses before tentatively asking, "How do you know that?"

"Because he's in prison."

His brows draw together in confusion, knowing that this happened several years ago and stalking doesn't usually result in such a severe punishment, especially because it can be hard to prove. "For stalking you?"

"No," Felicity raises her chin and finally meets his gaze. "For trying to kill me."


	18. Chapter 17

**A special thanks to a post by emilybuttrickards on tumblr for inspiring this fic :)**

* * *

 **Follow me on tumblr - my username is _suttons_** _ **-brady**_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.**

* * *

 **trigger warning:** this chapter contains talk of stalking and domestic abuse

* * *

 _Closing the door to her apartment with her hip, Felicity tried not to let anything drop from her arms as she made her way to the kitchen and dropped her keys and take-out boxes on the counter. She tucked a strand of loose brown hair behind her ear and headed back to lock the door, taking a few steps to set down her bag on the armchair. She sighed in relief at losing the strain of her schoolbooks on her shoulder. Lifting a hand to rub the knots from her sore neck, she moved through the tiny apartment to the bedroom, wanting to change into some comfier clothes before her Chinese food got cold – it was never as good when you had to reheat it._

 _Shuffling into her room, Felicity toed off her shoes and kicked them into the general direction of her closet, not bothering with the lights as she grabbed a discarded pair of sweats off the floor. She was at home – who cared if she wore the same thing she wore yesterday. When she shifted slightly, her eyes caught something in the corner of her room and she jumped when she recognized the dark figure, the pants falling at her feet and a hand clutching at her heart. "Oh my god," she breathed out, eyes wide._

 _"You're home." Cooper stepped forward so she could see him more clearly, taking in his ragged and disheveled appearance that was in such contrast to the calm expression on his face._

 _She took a slight step back at his movement and tried not to let her voice shake too much, "Wha… How did you get in here?"_

 _He ignored her question, closing the distance between them by another foot, "You haven't called me back. Or answered my texts." Felicity knew exactly why she hadn't, because she never even got them; she had his number blocked. Tilting his head, he arched a brow, "Didn't you like my presents?"_

 _"You mean the dead flowers and chopped up teddy bears? No, actually, I didn't," she snarked, unable to stop herself. "I told you to leave me alone."_

 _Cooper's expression darkened at her words and he moved another step, "You shouldn't have done that. We're supposed to be together, Felicity. You need to realize that and stop acting like a little bitch."_

 _She shook her head and swallowed, "Cooper, you need to leave. Now, or I'm calling the police."_

 _A hollow chuckle escaped past his lips as he pulled something from his pocket, "That's a little hard to do with a cell phone jammer." Clearly, she'd forgotten that she wasn't the only talented hacker at MIT._

 _In that moment, Felicity's heart stopped beating and a pit formed in her stomach like a ball of lead at the realization that he wasn't here just to try and talk. A few seconds went by in silence as they stared at each other and she thought about what to do. Deciding that she only really had one option, she turned and bolted. She ran as fast as she could, the sound of his heavy footsteps trailing behind her almost as loud as the blood rushing in her ears. Felicity saw the front door and it was like a bright light – she was so close – but the light faded when her sock-clad feet slid on the hardwood floors and she lost her footing._

 _Panic ran through her and her arms shot out to grab onto something, anything, to steady her. Her palms slapped against the counter and she held on as tightly as she could, ignoring the dull sting and pulling herself up again. She knew he was still behind her but didn't look back, knowing that the slip-up had cost her time and she couldn't waste any more. As soon as she was steady enough, she started running again. Felicity's heart skipped a beat when her hand wrapped around the doorknob, thinking she could make it outside, and she turned it only to remember that she'd locked it when she got home._

 _Suddenly, strong hands gripped the tops of her arms hard enough that it would definitely bruise and yanked her backwards, throwing her across the room. Her neck lurched at the sudden movement before her back collided hard with floor, the back of her head bouncing off the wood. She blinked, the combination of losing her glasses – when did that even happen? – and the hit disorientating her, blurring her vision. Before she could recover enough to even try to stand, Cooper stalked across the room and bent over her, grabbing her wrists with both hands and pinning them above her head._

 _She struggled as much as she could against his hold and opened her mouth, hoping that one of her neighbors was home. "Help! Someone help me!" Felicity kicked her legs to try and stop him from pinning them down, but it was no use; he was stronger than her and they both knew it. She continued to fight as he rested most of his weight on the tops of her thighs to keep her on the ground, "Get off of me!"_

 _Cooper lifted one hand from her wrists and slapped the back of it across her cheek, causing even thicker tears to spring to her eyes and cloud her vision just when it'd started to clear. "Shut up," he growled, eyes dark and full of anger. "Don't you get it, Felicity? I'm the only one for you! Why don't you get that?"_

 _She scoffed and grit out, "So if you can't have me, no one can? How cliché."_

 _Slapping her again, whipping her head in the opposite direction and giving her whiplash, he snarled, "I_ can _have you."_

 _Before she could even respond, a choked sound escaped from her throat and her eyes widened as he wrapped both hands around her neck and squeezed. She tried to suck in as much air as she could, but it became more difficult the harder he grasped, and she kicked and kicked and kicked. Felicity's head started to spin, and she lifted her hands to his, trying to pry his fingers away. Using whatever method she could, she clawed her nails into his skin and knew that she was drawing blood from the sticky feeling, but Cooper remained undeterred. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears and it was like it was the only thing she could hear, listening to it start to beat slower and slower as she felt the fight start to leave her. Everything hurt; it was like every nerve in her body was on fire, her lungs burning. Mouth open, she let out a silent, breathless scream, praying to anyone who would listen for something to come out – for anyone to hear her. His grip only seemed to get stronger as she struggled less and less, feeling life slipping away by the second._

 _The last thing Felicity heard before losing consciousness was the sound of the front door being kicked down._

"Next thing I know, I was waking up in the hospital. Apparently, one of my neighbors heard me screaming and called the police. The doctor said that if they'd been any later, I probably would've died or at least suffered brain damage. The paramedics had to revive me." Felicity lifts a hand, swiping away a few tears from her cheek. She lets out a shaky breath, comforted by Oliver's touch when he squeezes her other hand where it's enclosed in his. "Anyway… Cooper was arrested. I didn't want to go to trial; I just wanted to get away from it all. So, he took a deal and… I dropped out of school, dyed my hair blonde, changed my name, and moved to California. And you pretty much know the rest."

Oliver stares at her in complete awe of how strong she is after everything she's been through, first with her father, her mother, then her boyfriend. She truly is remarkable. In this moment, he doesn't even know what to say, because nothing he can say will make what happened to her any better. He lifts the hand not holding hers to palm her cheek, brushing her hair off her smooth skin and behind her ear. "I am so sorry, Felicity."

She sniffles, sending him a weak smile, "It's okay."

"It's not," he shakes his head, voice soft as he brushes his thumb across her cheek. "Everything you've been through… You are so amazing."

"Stop." Now it's her turn to shake her head, "I'm not. I – I'm damaged, Oliver. I don't… I don't let myself be real with people, I don't let myself trust people, I don't let myself love people." She closes her eyes, choking out a broken sob, "I don't know how."

"Hey," he whispers, "C'mere." Oliver shifts to wrap his arms around her shoulders, pulling against him. She goes willingly, sinking into his embrace and burying her face into the space between his neck and shoulder.

* * *

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Oliver watches Felicity's face as she sleeps soundly next to him, her even breaths a stark contrast to the choked sobs she'd been letting out the night before. He lets his thumb linger on her cheek, remembering how he made the same action to wipe away her tears hours earlier. Everything that he'd learned about her life last night made it clear to him that he is absolutely in love with this woman. Everything about Felicity amazes him, and he realizes in this moment that he wants to spend every second of the rest of his life being amazed by her. The thought is startling in a way because even with Laurel, he'd never truthfully felt that certain about a future together.

He jumps slightly when he hears a frantic pounding on his door, peering over his shoulder to see that his alarm clock reads 9:04 in the morning. Confusion covers his face because no one should be allowed to his floor without his approval unless they're on a list. Going over the narrow list of possibilities in his head, he carefully gets out of bed, hoping not to wake Felicity. Reaching down, he picks up a pair of discarded jeans from the floor and tugs them on before making his way out of his room.

"I'm coming," he calls out as the knocking persists, rolling his eyes when he gets downstairs. But the irritating sound doesn't stop. With a huff, Oliver unlocks the door and wretches it open, revealing his tiny, spitfire of a sister. "Speedy, what the hell?"

"What the hell _me?_ What the hell _you!"_ Thea storms into his apartment, shoving past him. His brows knit together in concern at her disheveled appearance, face devoid of her usual makeup and dressed in casual leggings and a sweatshirt. "Where have you been? We've been calling you non-stop! Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

"I –" he starts, only to pause at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Both Queen siblings turn their heads to see Felicity stepping off the final step in one of his long sleeve Henleys.

Felicity sends them a small smile before speaking, voice a bit hoarse from the night before. Luckily, it is only noticeable to Oliver, knowing she'd spent most of the night crying. "Hey Thea."

"Well, that answers my question," Thea mutters and then turns back to her brother, ignoring his unamused expression at her remark. "Dad had a heart attack."

His crossed arms fall to his sides and his expression falters a bit at that information. A heart attack? He didn't know what to think or what to feel, considering everything with his dad is so complicated. Finally, Oliver clears his throat, "Is he dead?"

"What? No," Thea gapes at him, "Do you think I would be this calm if our father was dead?" He simply arches a brow, hardly considering her behavior as calm. She shakes her head with a roll of her eyes, "He's in surgery, but the doctors are optimistic. Mom is at the hospital now, and I was there but had to come looking for you when you didn't answer your phone. We should all be there when he wakes up after his surgery."

"I don't think I should –"

"Ollie, I know that you and Dad aren't exactly on speaking terms right now, but Mom needs us. She needs _you. I_ need you. Please," she practically begs, eyes wide and hopeful, resembling how she used to look at him as a child.

He remembers the first time she ever looked up at him with those eyes; she was so young, barely even a toddler, when Mom told her she couldn't have any more cookies. When they were the only two left in the room, Thea turned to him with her bottom lip jutted out, big eyes staring up at him. He couldn't say no to her.

Unable to resist that look even now, Oliver sighs and nods before tugging her into a hug. "It's gonna be okay, Speedy." He rubs his hand up and down her back, his eyes meeting Felicity's over her shoulder.

She is looking at him with sympathetic eyes, knowing how hard this must be for him right now. Even though things with Robert are as awful as they are, that's still his father. She can't even imagine how she would react if she got a phone call saying that her mother was in the hospital and possibly dying. Would she go to her? Would she go on pretending that Donna was already dead? Felicity is brought from her own thoughts when Oliver speaks again, and she notices him start to walk towards her.

"I'll go with you back to the hospital, just let me get dressed." As he moves towards the staircase, his hand ghosts past Felicity's before tangling their fingers together and tugging her along.

She follows silently until they're in his bedroom, out of range of his sister's nosey ears. "Are you okay?" Felicity asks quietly, watching as he rummages for something to wear.

Oliver sighs, finding a blue shirt and tugging it on over his head, "I don't know. I'm worried about Thea and my mom, mostly. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Hey, stop." Felicity erases the distance between them, placing her hands on his firm shoulders. "No," she says with a firm voice, leaving no room for arguing. "You're allowed to be confused by all of this. That doesn't make you horrible; it makes you human." He nods lightly, wrapping his arms low around her waist and resting his forehead against her, closing his eyes. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Pulling back, Oliver shakes his head and lifts a hand to tuck some hair behind her ear. "No, you don't have to. You had a rough night; you should get some more rest."

"I don't want rest, I want to be with you," she assured, not taking her eyes away from his. At the small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, she rises on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his forehead before bustling about the room in search of her clothes.

* * *

Sitting in the hospital's waiting room is like torture. This is a place where family and friends wait anxiously for news about if their loved ones are dead or not, yet clearly whoever designs these places is determined not the make the experience any better. From the too-bright lights, the strong smell of antiseptics, and uncomfortable chairs, it's almost enough to make someone wish they were in surgery, because then at least they'd be unconscious. Felicity shifts, uncrossing and re-crossing the opposite leg where she sits next to Oliver.

"I'm gonna go get some coffee," Oliver breaks the silence of the mostly empty room – only a man in his fifties sits on the opposite end and Thea who lays sprawled over a few chairs across from them, sleeping in what must be an extremely uncomfortable position. He tilts his head towards her, "Do you want some?"

She considers how tired she really is, from the night they'd had and the stressful start to the day. Plus, it is still early since they've only been sitting here for an hour, at least. "Please. But I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one getting you coffee. Y'know, supportive girlfriend and all."

He huffs a laugh, shaking his head lightly, "I'll be right back." Leaning forward, he places a kiss to her cheek before standing and heading off in a direction he hopes will lead to one of the numerous coffee stands supposedly in this hospital.

Felicity watches his retreating form with a small smile before she hears someone sit in the seat beside her and turns her head, mouth opening slightly. "Mrs. Queen."

"Oh please, call me Moira," the older woman offers a welcoming smile, placing a hand on her arm.

She hasn't really spoken to her yet, having briefly seen her when they arrived and Oliver went to hug her. After that, the couple – and Thea – retreated to the waiting room while Moira went to sit at her husband's bedside, as he'd just gotten out of surgery and she was the only one allowed in his room until he woke up.

Felicity's eyes drop to where her hand rests before lifting her gaze again and returning her smile, "Any news?"

She shakes her head, "No. Sadly, Robert hasn't woken yet."

"He will, though," Felicity encourages with a tilt of her chin and a small smile.

With a hum, Moira narrows her eyes and stares at Felicity, taking her in and making the younger girl shift in her seat nervously. Her next words, however, are surprising. "You know, I think I underestimated you."

Eyebrows rising, Felicity doesn't know how to respond, taken aback by the – compliment?

Moira chuckles lightly, even that sounding as elegant as ever coming from her. "Truthfully, I thought that you were just another one of Oliver's flings. A young girl captivated by him is not unusual, and I don't imagine it's unusual for a beautiful rock star like yourself to attract attention." She shakes her head and lifts her gaze to meet Felicity's curious one. Moira moves the hand still settled on her arm to grasp her hand, squeezing tightly. "But I can happily admit that I was wrong about you. I see that now. Just the mere fact that you're here, supporting Oliver, lets me know that you truly love my son."

Felicity's heart clenches at the word and she looks down briefly, cheeks flushing. "I'm… I'm not –"

"—I see the way you look at him," Moira interrupts gently with another squeeze of her hand, bringing her gaze back up to her. "And I see the way he looks at you, Felicity. I know my son, and I know that he has never looked at a woman the way he looks at you."

Her breath hitches in her throat and she blinks, trying to stop any tears from coming to the surface. "I," she starts, but pauses. She considers her words carefully before meeting the older woman's eyes, "Thank you."

Giving one last squeeze of her hand, Moira glances over her shoulder and her smile grows. She drops Felicity's hand and stands up, moving closer to her son. "Darling," she greets.

"Mother," Oliver narrows his eyes and flits them between the two women in curiosity, having witnessed the end of their exchange. He hands over a steaming cup of coffee to a grateful Felicity before glancing back at Moira. "Anything?"

She shakes her head, "No, he is still unconscious. I just needed a break from that room, and Felicity here was sweet enough to keep me company."

Before Oliver can voice his confusion over his mother's sudden change in demeanor towards his girlfriend, another voice cuts in from behind him.

"Mrs. Queen." Doctor Schwartz approaches the group, a small smile on her face, "Your husband is awake. You and your children may go see him now."

"Oh, thank you," Moira breathes out in relief, a hand over her heart and tears in her eyes.

A rush of relief mixed with nervousness overcomes Oliver, happy that his dad is still alive but not loving the idea of seeing him. Seeing the expression on his mother's face, he places his free hand gently on her arm and squeezes. "Go, I'll wake up Thea."

Moira nods in thanks and steps forwards, wrapping her son in a hug and placing a few kisses to his cheek before following Doctor Schwartz. Watching after her for a brief second, Oliver hands over his coffee to Felicity's waiting hand and moves over to his little sister, smiling to himself at the expression on her face – her head lulled to the side, eyes closed and moth hanging open. He crouches down and sweeps her hair out of her face, brushing his thumb over her cheek in an attempt to softly wake her. "Speedy," he whispers.

Shifting and humming slightly, Thea tilts her head in his direction and a few seconds later, her eyes flutter open. "Ollie?" she asks in confusion, not immediately remembering where she is or what is happening. After she does, though, she moves to sit up and stretch her cramped up limbs.

Oliver stands and offers a hand to her, "Dad just woke up. Mom is there now; she's waiting for you."

Her eyes immediately brighten, "He's awake? He's okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay."

Letting out a happy squeal, she jumps into his arms, hugging him tightly. The hug is brief as she struggles to be put down, eager to go see her dad. She starts heading in the direction of his room before pausing, glancing over her shoulder with furrowed brows, "Aren't you coming?"

Taken aback for a second, Oliver tries to come up with some excuse, "I don't think we should overwhelm him. We'll come in a little bit."

Thea eyes him critically before reluctantly accepting his answer with a shrug, continuing her walk and disappearing around a corner.

Letting out a long breath, Oliver moves back towards his previous chair and sat down, relaxing immediately at the feel of Felicity's hand on his neck, fingers carding through his hair. She shifts in her seat to face him more fully, folding one leg under the other, "Well, he's awake. That's a good thing."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," he agrees, resting his head back against the wall and tilting it so he can see her beautiful face.

She sends him a knowing look, "You don't want to see him, though?"

Guilt overcomes him and he closes his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of her fingers in his hair. Even after everything, this is still his father; he would never want anything to happen to him. "I haven't seen him since finding out about Isabel and I just… I'm so angry at him, Felicity, I don't know if I'll be able to control myself. I don't know what I'll say, and he doesn't need that. He needs to recover."

"Well, I know you. And I know that even after everything, you still love him, and you won't do anything to hurt him."

He huffs a laugh, "I wish I had your confidence. I'm not sure I have that much self-control."

"Mmm," she hums in agreement. "Well," Felicity interlaces the fingers of her free hand with his, "I believe in you."

They stay like that, uninterrupted, for another hour, until Moira returns to the waiting room. Glancing in her direction, Felicity asks, "Where's Thea?"

"I sent her home to eat and rest. Raisa is going to watch over her and make sure she doesn't try to sneak back here."

Oliver clears his throat, "And how's Dad?"

Looking at him for a moment, Moira sends him a sympathetic look, a glimmer of hope noticeable in her eyes, "He's asking for you."

Inhaling sharply, Oliver fights everything in him telling him to say no. His father just almost died, he couldn't exactly say no to seeing him. He isn't even sure he wants to, but the fear at what he might do or say to him is overwhelming. It's the encouraging squeeze from Felicity's warm hand still enclosed in his that gets him to finally nod and stand, slowly making his way down the hall. When he gets to the large private room with Queen, neatly on the whiteboard on the door, he pauses, his hand on the doorknob. He tries to calm his thumping heart with some deep breaths and remind himself of the situation, knowing he needs to control his temper. Well, it was now or never.


End file.
